Alice Guo Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Qualified Trafficking

The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 167 has ordered the immediate transfer of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City after she and three of her 15 co-accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for qualified trafficking in connection with the illegal operations of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town in Pampanga.

Those convicted alongside Guo were Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, Jaimielyn Cruz, and Walter Wong Rong, who were found to have taken part in the trafficking operations inside the Baofu compound in Bamban. They were also ordered to pay ₱2 million each in fines, and ₱600,000 per victim for moral and exemplary damages.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted and ordered the release of several vendors and Filipino incorporators of the illegal POGO—Thelma Laranan, Rowena Evangelista, Rita Yturralde, Merlie Joy Castro, and Maybeline Millo—after it was proven they were victims of identity theft. They still face a bailable money-laundering case.

The ruling also includes the forfeiture of the ₱6-billion Baofu compound in favor of the government.

According to Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas, the accused were not physically present during the promulgation of the verdict and appeared only via videoconference.

Investigators found that Guo leased the space used by Zun Yuan through the leasing company Baofu.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Guo was charged under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022for allegedly organizing, funding, or leading human trafficking activities.

Also included in the complaint were several officials of the illegal POGO hub, including Dennis Cunanan, Zhang Ruijin, and Lin Baoying, who are currently at large.

Guo’s business partner in Baofu, Huang Zhiyang, is identified as a leader of a Chinese crime syndicate wanted by authorities in China.

Guo was earlier removed from office after a Tarlac court determined that she is a Chinese citizen, disqualifying her from holding public office in the Philippines.

Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr. welcomed the ruling.

“This is a victory not only for my office but for all agencies that worked on this case. This is symbolic. What we fought for… today, we proved that through unity and cooperation among agencies, we made this possible,” Acorda said.