Alice Guo
Alice Leal Guo | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac | |
| Assumed office June 30, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jose Antonio Feliciano |
| Vice Mayor | Leonardo Anunciacion |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1986 (age 37–38) |
| Political party | Independent |
Alice Leal Guo[1] (born 1986)[2] is a Filipino[a] politician who has served as the mayor of the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac, since 2022. The first woman to serve as the town's mayor, Guo was alleged by Senator Risa Hontiveros to have links to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) following the 2023 and 2024 raids in Bamban. Hontiveros urged the Philippine government to investigate Guo's early life and educational background.
Personal life
Details of Guo's early life and educational background are disputed. Guo states that she was born inside her home in 1986 to a Filipino-Chinese father whose birth certificate was subsequently found to have listed him as a Filipino named Angelito Guo, while his business documents listed him as a Chinese national named Jian Zhong Guo. Guo has also stated that her family raised pigs for a living and that she grew up on a farm.[2] An archived post on the official website of the Bamban reveals Guo extending birthday greetings to Patty, whom she refers to as her mother.[4] Observers have noted a perceived lack of resemblance between them.[5]
Accounts suggest she received homeschooling, a fact disclosed during a joint Philippine Senate Committee investigation.[6] However, her birth was only registered when she was 17 years old.[7] This delay cast doubts on her early life, given the absence of hospital birth records and her inability to identify her homeschool provider. The absence of traditional educational records prompted inquiries into the nature of her early education. No publicly accessible information exists about Guo's higher education, including whether she pursued college or any other form of tertiary education.[8]
Political career
In 2022, Guo was elected as the municipal mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, with 16,503 votes against the 16,035 votes received by her closest rival, Joey Salting Jr. She ran for office as an independent candidate[9] but acknowledged receiving support from the "previous administration".[2]
Alleged links to POGOs
Senator Win Gatchalian revealed Guo's alleged links with the firm Zun Yuan Technology, Inc., an online casino firm which was registered in the Philippines as a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).[10] Prior to her election in 2022,[11] Guo had applied for the license of Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc;[10] and in late 2020, the municipal council approved its establishment and operation.[12] Hongsheng had its license to operate canceled by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) by 2022.[12]
The POGO hub, situated in the property which is owned by Baofu Land Development, Inc. and is located behind the municipal building in Barangay Anupul, Bamban,[11] was twice raided by the authorities: in February 2023, for alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment scams;[13] and in March 2024, due to allegations of human trafficking and other cybercrimes;[14] at that time, it had been renamed Zun Yuan.[10]
In May 2024, during a Senate inquiry, senators said that the POGO compound housed "mercenaries" allegedly involved in cybercrimes and surveillance activities, citing intelligence reports.[11][15] Meanwhile, Guo contradicted allegations against her, stating that she was the former landowner of the property, and her vehicle, found within the compound, was sold in 2020.[16] Guo admitted that being one of the incorporators of Baofu, but said that she later sold her shares upon entering politics.[17]
During the inquiry, Senator Risa Hontiveros floated an idea that Guo may be a Chinese "asset" trained to infiltrate the Philippine government and "have an influence in Philippine politics". Guo expressed dismay saying that she had been "judged prematurely".[17]
Notes
- ^ Congratulatory messages published in the May 12, 2022, issue of World News, a Chinese-language periodical based in Binondo, Manila, referred to Guo as the Philippines' "first Chinese mayor", suggesting that she is of Chinese descent.[3]
References
- ^ "Certified List of Candidates (MUNICIPAL)" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Uson, Melanie (May 10, 2024). "What we know about Alice Guo, the Bamban mayor who is allegedly linked to POGOs". The Philippine Star.
- ^ "'First Chinese Mayor': Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's 2022 Win Celebrated In Chinese Language Paper". Politiko. May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Happiest Birthday! Mother of Mayor Alice Leal Guo". Official Website of Bamban Province of Tarlac. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Mommy Mystery: Mayor Alice Guo's Birthday Greeting For Mother Vanishes From Bamban LGU's Website". Politiko. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Tarlac mayor's dubious identity puzzles, alarms senators; Bamban mayor denies links to POGO firm". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ "Tarlac mayor Alice Guo's nationality questioned". Politiko Central Luzon. May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ Tulad, Victoria (May 8, 2024). "Hontiveros questions nationality of Bamban mayor linked to POGOs". ABS-CBN.
- ^ "2022 ELECTION RESULTS: Bamban, Tarlac". PHVOTE. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c Manabat, Joann (March 26, 2024). "Bamban mayor linked to raided POGO in Tarlac". Rappler. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c Ramos, Marlon (May 8, 2024). "Senators probe Tarlac Pogo for 'spy ops'; mayor grilled". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Malig, Jun (February 2, 2023). "CIDG raids Pogo firm in Tarlac; rounds up 850 foreign, Filipino employees". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ de Guzman, Victor (February 2, 2023). "Bamban POGO raided by CIDG". Tarlakenyo. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ Tupas, Emmanuel (March 14, 2024). "875 held in Tarlac POGO hub raid". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ Manabat, Joann (May 7, 2024). "Senators grill Bamban, Tarlac mayor with alleged POGO ties". Rappler. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ Abarca, Charie (May 7, 2024). "Bamban mayor denies ties to raided Pogo firm in Tarlac". Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Ramos, Marlon (May 9, 2024). "Hontiveros won't let go of Bamban mayor over ties to Pogo". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.