The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) confirmed that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo was transferred Friday night to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City.
Guo was found guilty of qualified human trafficking and meted the penalty of life imprisonment and a P2-million fine over criminal activities uncovered in an illegal POGO hub in her town.
“The BJMP confirms that, at 10:48 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2025, Alice Guo, Rachel Joan Carreon, and Jamielyn Cruz were officially received by the CIW, Bureau of Corrections, following the turnover of custody from the BJMP Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory,” spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera said in a statement.
The CIW previously said Guo, along with Cruz and Carreon, upon their arrival, will spend five days in protocol quarantine at its Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC), where they will also undergo medical examinations.
After the quarantine period, they will be moved to the regular RDC dormitory for a 60-day mandatory orientation, diagnostics, and evaluation before being transferred to their assigned dormitory at the Maximum Security Camp.
The POGO hub, operated by Zun Yuan Technology, was located on a property leased by Guo’s Baofu company.
The sprawling POGO complex, which included office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool, was raided last year after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called the police.
More than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans were found on site.
Guo was arrested by Indonesian police in September 2024 after fleeing the Philippines. She still faces cases involving charges of money laundering and graft.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a ban on offshore gambling operations amid mounting public fury over the Guo case in 2024, ordering foreign nationals working at the sites out of the country.
In October, he signed the Anti-POGO Act that institutionalizes the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
Mr. Marcos said that banning all POGOs will solve many of the problems the Philippines is encountering.
Under the new law, first time violators will face imprisonment of 6 to 8 years and a fine between P300,000 and P15 million; for the second offense will be imprisonment of 8 years and 1 day to 10 years and a fine between P15 million and P30 million; and for the third offense will be imprisonment of 10 years and 1 day to 12 years and a fine between P30 million and P50 million.
If the offender is a public official or employee, the maximum penalty under the applicable category will be imposed. If the guilty party is a foreigner, he or she will be deported immediately after serving their sentence and permanently banned from re-entering the Philippines.
The transnational scam industry has ballooned in Southeast Asia in recent years, with thousands of scammers estimated to be involved.
Victims in the wider region were conned out of up to $37 billion in 2023, according to a UN report, which said global losses were likely “much larger.” With AFP
