Philippine ombudsman dismisses mayor with suspected links to illegal gaming

UPDATED at 9:57 a.m. ET on 2024-08-14

The Philippines’ Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of a town mayor suspected of links to scam hubs, and disqualified her from running for public office again. 

A special panel of investigators ruled that Alice Guo (also known as Guo Huaping) had committed grave misconduct as mayor of Bamban, a town in northern Tarlac province, according to a 25-page ruling handed down Monday but only released to the press on Tuesday.

In the Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman has disciplinary authority over elective and appointive officials of the government, including mayors.

Guo was the subject of a congressional probe investigating alleged criminal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). Several senators had also accused Guo of faking her identity as a Filipino. 

Guo, who became mayor of Bamban in 2022, maintained she was a Filipino and denied having links to illegal POGOs.

The panel said Guo “carefully planned, orchestrated and masterminded” illegal gambling operations inside a sprawling compound that she owns in her town – from buying lots, forming companies, to running for mayor to protect these interests. 

“This is a clear conflict of interest. The element of corruption, willful intent to violate the law ... are all quite evident. Guo must be held liable for the same,” the Ombudsman said.

The ruling, however, did not consider questions about her citizenship, which is a separate case handled by the Office of the Solicitor General.

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

Such operations are very similar to the scam hubs widely reported in other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Cambodia.

POGOs were encouraged by the government of former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022), who opened the Philippine economy to Chinese investors. Last month, Duterte’s successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ordered the shutdown of all POGOs because they “have ventured into illicit areas.” 

Guo’s camp had yet to comment on the Ombudsman’s ruling. She has been in hiding and the Senate had ordered her arrest for failing to appear during the chamber’s hearings.

Guo was also placed in the government’s lookout bulletin, though it is only meant to monitor, and not to stop, her departure from the country.

Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who led the Senate investigation into illegal POGOs, welcomed the Ombudsman’s “sound and sensible judgment.”

“Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national, does not deserve to be a Philippine mayor. She should have been stripped of that title immediately after we confirmed that she was not Filipino,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the Commission on Elections also issued a subpoena against the mayor for alleged misrepresentation in her candidacy document, wherein she attested to her Philippine citizenship when she ran in 2022. Guo was not at home when the subpoena was issued.

South China Sea angle

Guo’s case surfaced against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing in their maritime dispute in the South China Sea. 

The Philippines and China are locked in a years-long dispute over the resource-rich waterway. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the waters. 

Various Philippine security officials had raised concerns that Beijing could be using illegal gaming operations to stir up trouble in Manila.

BenarNews sought the Chinese Embassy in Manila for comment about the ruling but it has yet to respond. 

This story has been updated to provide more information about Alice Guo’s alleged links to scam hubs using gambling licenses.