A former town mayor in the Philippines has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of human trafficking. Alice Guo, who officials claim is a Chinese national, was found guilty by a Manila court for her role in setting up an illegal online gaming operation in northern Philippines, where foreign nationals were allegedly coerced into conducting scams.
The Pasig city regional trial court handed down the life sentence to Guo along with seven other Filipino and Chinese defendants. They were also ordered to pay fines amounting to 2 million pesos ($34,000) each and to provide reparations to the victims involved in the trafficking case. While Guo maintained her innocence, claiming she is a Filipino citizen, authorities assert she is actually Guo Huaping, a Chinese national who falsified documents to assume public office in the Philippines.
In recent years, the Southeast Asian region has seen a surge in scam operations particularly in countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. According to the United Nations, these operations have ensnared hundreds of thousands in virtual enslavement, forcing them into fraudulent activities such as fake romances, scams, and illegal gambling.
The Philippines has not been immune to this trend. Scam hubs have rapidly emerged, establishing themselves in high-end office spaces in Manila and constructing large compounds to house their workers. Authorities allege these operations often operate with impunity by bribing local officials.
Guo, who was once the mayor of Bamban in Tarlac province, is accused of running a major illegal scam compound near the town hall. “They used the parcels of land and buildings to house the trafficked workers and to force them to work as scammers,” the court detailed in its ruling.
Following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive last year, numerous online gaming operations, primarily operated by Chinese nationals, have been banned. Marcos’s administration has taken a strong stance against these enterprises, citing their involvement in crimes like human trafficking and financial scams, among others.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who spearheaded Senate inquiries into these underground operations, lauded the conviction as a significant step against corruption and cybercrime but warned that much work remains. “The conviction of Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, is a victory against corruption, human trafficking, cybercrime and many other transnational crimes,” said Hontiveros. “But it is far from over.”
There are also suspicions that these scam centers, including those operated by Guo, might have been utilized for espionage activities by China, amidst growing territorial tensions with the Philippines in the South China Sea. However, it’s important to note that espionage charges have not been filed against Guo, who vehemently denies any involvement in such activities.
Guo was removed from her mayoral position last year due to grave misconduct allegations and fled the Philippines in mid-2024. She was subsequently apprehended in Indonesia and deported back to the Philippines, where she has been held in detention since.
