Published on: November 20, 2025, 10:44 AM.
Updated on: November 20, 2025, 10:45 AM.
- Guo’s casino facade concealed extensive trafficking and fraud schemes.
- Investigations revealed fake identities and unaccounted wealth linked to foreign sources.
- Her arrest and sentencing ignited a nationwide sweep against online gambling activities.
The former mayor of a small Philippine town, who evaded authorities last year amid allegations of espionage and ties to organized crime, has been sentenced to life in prison for her role in human trafficking.
In 2022, Alice Guo, now aged 35, was elected as the mayor of Bamban, a quiet town where she had undisclosed interests in an online gambling operation that secretly functioned as a cover for human trafficking and internet fraud.
In March 2024, law enforcement conducted a raid on her property, discovering 800 trafficked individuals, luxurious villas, and a system of concealment tunnels. They also located Guo’s vehicle and documents indicating her previous ownership of part of the land where the establishment was built.
Fabricated Identity
Deeper investigations revealed her actual identity was a fabrication. All her social media profiles were created in the year she assumed office, and locals expressed that they had no prior knowledge of her.
Guo alleged she was a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, describing herself as a “love child” raised in obscurity on a pig farm until her decision to run for mayor.
However, investigators unveiled that her birth certificate was filed when she was 17 years old, and her fingerprints matched those of a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, who entered the Philippines as a minor.
Simultaneously, her financial records indicated her wealth was incompatible with that of a small-town mayor, revealing unusual transactions with individuals and business entities in China.
These findings led to accusations of her being a spy for China, which she denies, and she has not faced any espionage charges.
On the Run
In July 2024, following a Senate probe into her activities, Guo fled, triggering an international search effort.
She was eventually apprehended in Indonesia and extradited back to the Philippines. Recently, she was one of seven individuals sentenced to life terms connected to the Bamban property.
Revelations surrounding Guo resulted in massive public outrage, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to dismantle the nation’s licensed online gambling sector and mandate the exit of all foreign workers involved in it.