Executive Summary
- Former Bamban town Mayor Alice Guo has been convicted of human trafficking and sentenced to life in prison by a Philippine court.
- The conviction is related to her role in an illegal online scam complex where hundreds of foreign workers were forced into criminal activities.
- Guo, whom officials allege is a Chinese national who faked her citizenship, was ordered to pay a 2 million peso fine along with seven co-accused.
- The case is part of a larger government crackdown on illegal online gaming operations linked to transnational crime in the Philippines.
A Philippine court has convicted former mayor Alice Guo of human trafficking and sentenced her to life in prison for her role in establishing an illegal online gaming and scam operation. The court found that hundreds of foreign workers were forced to conduct fraudulent activities at the complex located in the northern province of Tarlac. Seven other Filipino and Chinese co-accused also received life sentences.
The Pasig city regional trial court in metropolitan Manila also ordered Guo and her co-conspirators to pay a fine of 2 million pesos ($34,000) each, in addition to compensation for several trafficking victims who filed the complaints. Throughout the proceedings, Guo has denied all allegations and maintains that she is a Filipino citizen. Authorities contend she is a Chinese national named Guo Huaping who falsified her citizenship to run for mayor of Bamban town.
According to the court’s decision, the defendants “used the parcels of land and buildings to house the trafficked workers and to force them to work as scammers.” The case highlights a wider issue of vast online scam centers flourishing across Southeast Asia, which the United Nations estimates have trapped hundreds of thousands of people in conditions of modern slavery.
The conviction follows a broader crackdown initiated by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who ordered a ban on hundreds of mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations that had proliferated under his predecessor. These operations have been linked to numerous crimes, including human trafficking, kidnapping, and murder.
During televised Senate inquiries, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who helped expose the operations, suggested the scam centers could also be used for espionage by China. Hontiveros and security officials noted the proximity of Guo’s compound to a Philippine air force base with a U.S. military presence. Guo has not been charged with espionage and denies any involvement in spying.
Guo was dismissed from her post as mayor last year by a state Ombudsman for grave misconduct. She fled the country in July 2024 but was later arrested in Indonesia and deported back to the Philippines, where she has been detained since. While Guo was convicted on the trafficking charges, it is important to note that individuals are presumed innocent of any other allegations until proven guilty in a court of law.