Indonesia deports 2 associates of ex-mayor linked to illegal gaming in Philippines

The sister and an alleged business associate of a former mayor suspected of having ties to illegal gaming operations were arrested in Indonesia and sent back to the Philippines, officials said on Thursday. 

They were deported a day after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered an investigation to determine how the dismissed mayor, Alice Guo, allegedly escaped through the country’s ports.

Guo, the dismissed mayor of Bamban, a town in northern Tarlac province, was the subject of a congressional probe into alleged criminal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). Several senators alleged she had ties to criminal syndicates and faked her identity as a Filipino. 

Guo, who became mayor of Bamban in 2022, had denied both accusations.

Last month, the Senate ordered police to arrest Guo for failing to appear before its inquiry. 

On Thursday, Philippine immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco said Guo’s sister, Sheila Guo, and Cassandra Ong arrived at 5 p.m. at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Jakarta and were “escorted by operatives of the intelligence division and fugitive search unit.”

“They were considered illegal aliens by Indonesian immigration as they are wanted in the Philippines,” Tansingco told reporters.  

Sheila Guo has an active Senate arrest warrant, while Ong has an arrest warrant from the House of Representatives for their failure to attend congressional hearings about POGOs.

The two were allegedly accompanying Alice Guo in Indonesia’s northern island of Batam when an Indonesian investigation team on Wednesday “intercepted them and initiated their return to the Philippines,” Tansingco said.

Indonesian officials and Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo confirmed the two were arrested on Wednesday.

“[Indonesian] officers found that [Sheila Guo and Cassandra Ong] were Filipino citizens on the wanted list under the search request letter from the Philippine Immigration to the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration dated 19 August 2024,” Indonesian immigration authorities said in a statement.

Filipino and Indonesian police were also coordinating for Guo’s arrest, Fajardo and Indonesian immigration officials added.

Sheila Guo is the dismissed mayor’s sister, while authorities said Ong was the former mayor’s business associate who allegedly worked for firms that operated illegal gaming activities.

Senate President Francis Escudero said Sheila Guo would be placed under the Senate’s custody while Ong would be under the custody of the House of Representatives.

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Accusations against Guo

The circumstances surrounding Guo’s alleged departure remained unclear, but Philippine immigration officials and intelligence operatives said she fled the country last month. 

According to intelligence reports of Philippine authorities, Guo was monitored to have allegedly entered Malaysia on July 18, before proceeding to Singapore three days later. On Aug. 18, she was said to have taken a ferry to nearby Batam island in Indonesia.

However, Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, has told journalists she was still in the Philippines, although he did not provide further details.

In July, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Guo as mayor of Bamban over suspected links to criminal activities. She was also barred from running again for public office. In the Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman has disciplinary authority over elected and appointed public officials, including mayors.

POGOs are gaming hubs that cater to foreign customers, including nationals from China, where gambling is illegal. But authorities said some illegal POGOs served as fronts for criminal operations, including human trafficking, scams and other activities. 

Last month, Marcos ordered the shutdown of all POGO sites that proliferated during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term ended in 2022.