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 | |
| Political party | Independent |
| Occupation | Businesswoman, politician |
Alice Leal Guo[1] (born 1986)[2] is a businesswoman and politician in the Philippines who has served as the Mayor of the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac, since June 30, 2022. 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. Her Filipino citizenship has been questioned due to inconsistencies in her documents and 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 the then-municipality of Tarlac[3] 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, and a Filipino mother. She described a woman named Patty as her mother in an archived post on the official website of Bamban,[4] wherein observers have noted a perceived lack of resemblance between them.[5] Residents of barangay Virgen de los Remedios in Bamban claimed that Guo lived and grew up there.[6] Guo has also stated that her family raised pigs for a living and that she grew up on a farm.[2]
Her testimony during a joint Philippine Senate Committee investigation claims that she was homeschooled.[7] However, her birth was only registered when she was 17 years old.[8] 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.[9]
According to Guo's Certificate of Candidacy for Mayor filed before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2021, she declared herself as unmarried and as a resident of Bamban since either 2003 or 2004.[3] According to COMELEC Chairman George Garcia, she only registered as a voter of Bamban in April 2021, 13 months before the 2022 general elections.[10]
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[11] but acknowledged receiving support from the "previous administration".[2] Her campaign expenses, according to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), exceeded ₱134,000.[10]
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).[12] Prior to her election in 2022,[13] Guo had applied for the license of Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc;[12] and in late 2020, the municipal council approved its establishment and operation.[14] Hongsheng had its license to operate canceled by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) by 2022.[14]
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,[13] was twice raided by the authorities: in February 2023, for alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment scams;[15] and in March 2024, due to allegations of human trafficking and other cybercrimes;[16] at that time, it had been renamed Zun Yuan.[12]
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.[13][17] 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.[18] Guo admitted that being one of the incorporators of Baofu, she later sold her shares upon entering politics.[19]
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". In response to the allegations, Guo expressed dismay saying that she had been "judged prematurely" via a trial by publicity.[19]
Notes
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.
- ^ a b ABS-CBN News [@ABSCBNNews] (May 14, 2024). "LOOK: In her Certificate of Candidacy filed in 2021, Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, declared she is a Filipino citizen. The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality shared the document. | via @victoriatulad" (Tweet). Retrieved May 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Mga residente sa Bamban, Tarlac, iginiit na totoong Pilipino si Mayor Alice Guo (in Filipino). News5Everywhere. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 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.
- ^ a b Perez, Arra (May 14, 2024). "Tarlac mayor Alice Guo's COC: 'I am a Filipino citizen'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "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.