Alice Guo | |||||||||||||||||||
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郭華萍 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Mayor ofBamban,Tarlac | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office June 30, 2022 – August 13, 2024[a] Suspended since June 3, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vice Mayor | Leonardo Anunciacion | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jose Antonio Feliciano | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Erano Timbang (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Date and place disputed(see below) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Filipino (disputed since 2024; alleged to be actuallyChinese) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent (until 2023; 2024–present)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | NPC (2023–2024)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Parent |
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| Occupation | Businesswoman politician | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 郭華萍 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 郭华萍 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Alice Leal Guo[3] (Chinese:郭華萍[b];pinyin:Guō Huápíng;Wade–Giles:Kuo1 Hua2-p'ing2;IPA:/kwo˥xwa˧˥pʰiŋ˧˥/) is a businesswoman and former politician in the Philippines who served as the mayor of the municipality ofBamban,Tarlac, from June 30, 2022, to August 13, 2024.
Guo was accused of being aChinese spy[6][7] and also faced investigations over her alleged involvement in illegal gambling and other criminal activities. In June 2024, she was suspended for up to six months as mayor by theOmbudsman after theDepartment of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed graft charges against her over alleged connections withPhilippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities in her municipality.[8] She was dismissed by the Ombudsman on August 13, 2024. In aSenate Committee inquiry, Guo was alleged by SenatorsRisa Hontiveros andWin Gatchalian to have links to illegal activities by POGOs followingraids in Bamban in 2023 and 2024. HerFilipino citizenship has also been questioned and is now being investigated due to inconsistencies in her documents and testimony.[9][10][11]
In July 2024, Guo's assets were frozen and an arrest order was issued for her.[12] In August 2024, it was reported that Guo had already fled the Philippines on July 17 forMalaysia, and then traveled toSingapore,[13] and finally toIndonesia,[14] where she was arrested on September 3, 2024, and deported back to thePhilippines on September 5.[15][16] She is currently detained in the Philippines under police custody.[17]
Details of Guo's early life and educational background are disputed. Guo stated that she was born at her home, whose location she does not recall, or, according to her birth certificate, in barangay Matatalaib in the then-municipality ofTarlac,[18] Philippines, on August 31, 1990, originally thought to be July 12, 1986; her family'sSpecial Investors Resident Visa (SIRV) application documents placed her birthplace atFujian,China.[c] TheNational Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also revealed the existence of three individuals named Alice Leal Guo, all born on July 12, 1986. One of these individuals has a different physical appearance from her.[24] Residents at the reported address of the second Alice Guo inQuezon City stated they were unaware of anyone named Alice Guo residing there.[25] The NBI later confirmed that thefingerprints of mayor Alice Guo and Chinese national Guo Hua Ping matched, confirming that they are the same person.[26]
Guo asserts her father's ethnicity as Chinese and states he was 70 years old as of 2024, but discrepancies about his citizenship are evident from various documents. His birth certificate identifies him as Filipino, named Angelito Guo, while his business records list him as a Chinese citizen named Jian Zhong Guo, born in 1958.[27][28][29] Guo's mother's identity is also in question; she is either a Filipino housemaid named Amelia Leal Guo, as per Guo's claim and birth certificate, or a Chinese businesswoman named Lin Wen Yi (born 1971), based on sources inValenzuela and the Guo family's SIRV application documents.[23][30][31] Guo claimed to be her father's illegitimate child with Amelia, resulting in her being raised by her father inseclusion on a pig farm in Tarlac City. However, discrepancies arose when the birth certificates of Guo,Chinese national Zhang Mieralias[32] Shiela Leal Guo (born 1984) and Seimen Leal Guo (born 1988 or 1990) revealed discrepancies in ages of Angelito and Amelia Guo at their children's births, along with two differing marriage dates in Tarlac.[33][34] Furthermore, the couple was found to have no existing birth and marriage records in thePhilippine Statistics Authority.[20][35] Jian Zhong Guo and Lin Wen Yi are co-incorporators in multiple businesses with Guo, claiming the same address in Quezon City according toSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC) andBureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records.[31][36][37] Guo had initially denied that Lin was her biological mother and insisted that Amelia exists,[38][39] but later admitted that Jian Zhong Guo is her father. She categorically denied Lin Wen Yi to be her mother[40]
Guo initially denied knowing Shiela and Seimen Guo, butBureau of Immigration (BI) records suggest they had traveled abroad together.[41] She later confirmed them as her paternal half-siblings, despite their birth certificates suggesting they are full siblings.[42] However, both Guo and Shiela later separately denied being biological sisters,[43] with Shiela claiming that Jian Zhong Guo is her foster father.[44] It was later revealed that Guo has another full sibling named Wesley (born 1990, also known as Guo Xiang Dian according to the NBI)[45] and reportedly five more siblings.[46][47]
In July 2024, Solicitor-GeneralMenardo Guevarra filed a petition to cancel Guo'sbirth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, following doubts raised on her origins and citizenship.[48] On October 4, 2024, Guo's Philippine passport was cancelled by theDepartment of Foreign Affairs, citing fraudulent circumstances in its acquisition.[49]
On December 17, 2024, Guo, her parents, and her two siblings were sued by the NBI before theDepartment of Justice (DOJ) for falsification and violation of the Anti-Dummy Law, pertaining to foreign land ownership. The NBI alleged that the Guos falsely claimed Filipino citizenship and residency to acquire four parcels of land inMangatarem,Pangasinan.[50]
Some residents of Bamban, including those from barangay Virgen de los Remedios, said that Guo lived and grew up there,[28][51] adding that she also has a sibling.[52] Guo has stated that her family raised pigs for a living and that she grew up on a farm.[53] She also claimed to have spent her teenage life inConcepcion, Tarlac.[52] Furthermore, registration records of her companies showed that she had residency inMarilao,Bulacan, and Valenzuela,Metro Manila, citing her parents' embroidery business in the latter.[19] However, it was revealed that no such business existed, and her listed home address in Valenzuela belonged to a certain Bayle family, according to SenatorWin Gatchalian.[20][54]
Guo stated during a testimony at a jointPhilippine Senate Committee investigation that she washomeschooled.[55] However, her birth was only registered on November 22, 2005,[56][57][58] casting doubts on her early life due to the absence of hospital birth records, her inability to identify her homeschool provider, and traditional educational records, prompting inquiries into the nature of her education.[59] It was later revealed that Guo attendedGrace Christian High School (now Grace Christian College) from 2000 to 2003, covering Grades 1 to 3, according to her school enrollment forms.[60] According to one of her classmates, she was known by her Chinese name, attended special classes for Filipino subjects, took a higher grade level for her Chinese classes, and completed the Chinese curriculum despite struggling withEnglish.[61]
Her failure to recall details of her birth and early life during the Senate inquiry led to online ridicule, with Guo being dubbedMy Amnesia Girl (a locally produced film from 2010) in a popularmeme.[62][63]
According to Guo's Certificate of Candidacy for Mayor filed before theCommission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2021, she declared herself unmarried and claimed lifelong residency in the Philippines, residing at her registered address inBamban for 18 years by that time.[18] It was revealed that she registered as a voter of Bamban in April 2021, just 13 months before the2022 general elections, while COMELEC spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that she had registered in 2018.[64][65] She also claimed to have held aPhilippine passport, the only one she possesses, since when she was between 17 and 19 years old, around 2003 to 2005.[66] Her family's SIRV application documents indicate that, as Guo Hua Ping, she also holds aChinese passport and migrated to the Philippines on January 12, 2003, at the age of 12.[23] On August 6, 2024, the COMELEC approved the filing of a criminal complaint on misrepresentation grounds against Guo after an investigation found that her fingerprints matched with that of Guo Hua Ping.[67] The complaint was formally presented before a court in Tarlac on October 28, 2024.[68]
According to her December 2023Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), Guo reported a net worth of₱177.5 million, with assets totaling₱367 million and liabilities exceeding₱189 million. Her assets include nine properties in Marilao, Bamban, andCapas, acquired for over₱20 million since 2008, threedump trucks worth₱2 million each, and ahelicopter, which was recently sold to an undisclosed British firm, worth₱60 million. Guo also declared shares in several companies, jewelry worth₱1.5 million, and₱198 million in bank and cash holdings.[69]
However, discrepancies arose in Alice Guo's financial declarations.GMA Integrated News Research reported her assets at around₱429.6 million in her June 30, 2022, SALN. An amended SALN on July 1, 2022, showed her net worth dropped to exactly₱286 million, removing real estate properties, club shares, and a₱138 million land acquisition deposit that were later restored by December 31, 2022.[39]Anti-Money Laundering Council documents also revealed billions of pesos were deposited into Guo's bank accounts.[70] It was also revealed that Guo holds 31 or 36 bank accounts solely under her name and owns 12 real estate properties, 12 vehicles, and a helicopter, according to theCourt of Appeals, which issued a freeze order on these assets on July 11, 2024.[71][72][73]
Guo was alleged to own aMcLaren 620R, which she denied. She insisted that it was borrowed from a friend for a car show event in Concepcion, Tarlac.[74] As of May 2024, theLand Transportation Office has 12 vehicles in record under Guo's name and not under one of her businesses, the McLaren is not among these.[75] Guo says she uses aGACGS8 vehicle for her personal use.[76][77]
Conflicting details have also emerged of Guo's relationships. During the Senate hearings into her, SenatorJinggoy Estrada said that Guo has a live-in partner who manages POGO operations, while Guo said she is single.[78] She was also linked toSual,Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo Calugay, but they denied having a romantic relationship and clarified that they are just friends.[79][80][81] Six businesses bear the combination of their names.[82] Calugay's executive assistant was later found to have helped Guo in notarizing her counter-affidavit after she had fled the country.[83]
Guo has also said that she identifies her mother tongue asFilipino and is proficient in only a fewHokkien words. She has little fluency inKapampangan, a language common in Bamban.[57] According to her elementary classmates at Grace Christian High School, Guo did not speak either English or Filipino in the early 2000s, suggesting that she was from China.[61]
In October 2021, Guo filed her certificate of candidacy to run for municipal mayor ofBamban,Tarlac, as anindependent candidate. She tapped former mayor Leonardo Anunciacion as her running mate for vice mayor. During the campaign period for the 2022 elections, she expressed support for thecandidacies ofBongbong Marcos andSara Duterte for president and vice president, respectively.[84] Her campaign expenses, according to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), exceeded₱134,000.[64] In 2024, she stated that she had received support from her friends and from the "previous administration" during the campaign.[53] She also prominently used the color pink for her campaign.[85] Guo was also supported by the outgoing mayor, Jose Antonio Feliciano, who encouraged her to run despite maintaining only a "civil" relationship after he had a falling out with his previous preferred successor.[86]
In May 2022, Guo won the mayoralty race, garnering 16,503 votes against her closest rival, Anupul barangay captain Joey Salting,[64] who received 16,035 votes in the seven-way contest.[87] She became the first female municipal mayor of Bamban.[19] Assuming office on June 30, 2022, she initiated projects including the Barangayan, offering complimentary medical, dental, and documentation services andrabies vaccinations for both dogs and cats.[28] In the third quarter of 2023, following Bamban's receipt of a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award from theDepartment of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Guo joined theNationalist People's Coalition (NPC).[2]
On June 3, 2024, Guo, along with Bamban municipal business permit and licensing officer Edwin Ocampo and municipal legal officer Adenn Sigua,[88] was ordered suspended on a preventive basis for six months by the Ombudsman as part of an investigation into her alleged involvement inPhilippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). The order gave due course to the DILG's May 24 complaint.[89]
Guo was removed from the NPC on June 22, 2024.[90] In July 2024, Solicitor-GeneralMenardo Guevarra filed aquo warranto petition with theManila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 to nullify Guo's election as mayor.[91] On August 13, 2024, Guo was removed as mayor by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct regarding her involvement in POGOs. Her retirement benefits were forfeited, and she was perpetually barred from seeking public office.[92] As her vice mayor, Leonardo Anunciacion, and seven members of theSangguniang Bayan (municipal council) were also suspended for three months on the same charges, Guo was succeeded by Erano Timbang, a councilor who topped the 2022 race and was the only councilor who voted against the establishment of the POGO in Bamban.[87][93]
Amidst the Ombudsman's decision and ongoing investigations, Guo initially said she would be seeking reelection as mayor of Bamban in the2025 Philippine general election.[94] But on October 8, 2024, she said she would not push through with her reelection to focus on her legal cases.[95]
Before venturing into politics, Guo has an extensive background as a businesswoman, serving as an incorporator and holding significant shares in at least 11 companies since 2010, according toSecurities and Exchange Commission records.[19]
In the 2024 Senate inquiry, Guo admitted to owning a helicopter, which she acquired in 2019 and sold in 2024 to an undisclosed British firm. She said she meant to use the helicopter for anair taxi business but was compelled to sell the aircraft after the venture did not meet their expectations.[74]
Westcars Incorporated is one of the businesses affiliated with Guo. It is a car dealership registered on March 16, 2016.[75] Senator Risa Hontiveros in the 2024 Senate inquiry has alleged Guo to own 16 vehicles which includessports utility vehicles,vans, andtrucks which Guo reasoned is associated with the Westcars venture.[76]
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Starting in June 2024, Guo faced cases in the Senate, the DOJ, theOmbudsman and in the courts.[96] SenatorWin Gatchalian revealed Guo's alleged links with the firm Zun Yuan Technology, Inc., an online casino firm that was registered in the Philippines as aPhilippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).[97] Prior to her election in 2022,[98] Guo had applied for the license of Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc.;[97] and in late 2020, the Bamban municipal council approved its establishment and operation.[99] Hongsheng had its license to operate cancelled by thePhilippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) by 2022.[99] In 2019, Baofu Land Development wasincorporated by Guo, Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, with Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon andCypriot national, Huang Zhiyang. Furthermore, Guo was reportedly spotted with aBulgari Serpenti Viper necklace worth₱11.9 million (US$203,000), aLouis Vuitton silk shirt, and aChanel bag.[100][101]
The POGO hub is situated in the property which is owned by Baofu Land Development, Inc. and is located behind the municipal building in Barangay Anupul, Bamban,[98] was twice raided by the authorities: in February 2023, for alleged involvement incryptocurrency investment scams;[102] and in March 2024, due to allegations ofhuman trafficking and othercybercrimes;[103] at that time, it had been renamed Zun Yuan.[97]
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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.[98][9] Meanwhile, Guo countered allegations against her, stating that she was the former landowner of the property, and her vehicle, found within the compound, was sold in 2020.[104] Guo stated that being one of the incorporators of Baofu, she later sold her shares upon entering politics.[105]
During the inquiry, SenatorRisa Hontiveros suggested that Guo may be aChinese "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 atrial by publicity.[105] Guo stressed that she was "not a coddler, not a protector of POGOs",[106] adding in a subsequent interview byKaren Davila that she had been rattled by senators' questions into her private life and was opposed to POGOs.[107]
On May 16, 2024,Solicitor GeneralMenardo Guevarra said he designated a "team of solicitors" to investigate if Guo is illegally "holding or exercising a public office" as prefatory toquo warranto under Rule 66, Revised Rules of Court.[11] On May 23, Senate PresidentFrancis Escudero said that theburden of proof regarding Guo's citizenship lies upon the accusers.[108]
TheDepartment of the Interior and Local Government in its updated report submitted on May 17,[109] subsequently recommended that Guo be suspended by theOmbudsman following what it called "troubling findings" during its investigation over her alleged connections to POGOs.[110] OmbudsmanSamuel Martires, however, told24 Oras that his office has received the DILG's unsignedtask force'sfact-finding report copy. In effect the Ombudsmanremanded Guo's casehinting that the DILG ought to file a valid criminalcomplaint with attached legal documents for Guo'scriminal investigation prior to preventivesuspension.[111][112] In response, Bamban vice mayor Leonardo Anunciacion said there was no basis for Guo to be suspended, whileMoncada mayor Estelita Aquino, the president of theLeague of Municipalities of the Philippines-Tarlac chapter, of which Guo is the treasurer, also defended Guo, saying that she is "helpful and easy to get along with" and that Bamban had progressed under her leadership.[113] The Nationalist People's Coalition also announced an investigation into Guo, with party member Win Gatchalian urging the NPC to expel her.[114][115] On June 1, the DILG announced that it had filed a criminal complaint to the Ombudsman dated May 24 charging Guo with graft.[116] On June 21, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission filed a criminal complaint to the DOJ charging Guo and 13 others with human trafficking involving the POGO in Bamban.[117]
On May 21, 2024, Hontiveros on her social media account revealed that Guo's business associates, Lin Baoying and Zhang Ruijin, were involved in thelargest money laundering case inSingapore amounting toS$3.0 billion. Guo stated during the Senate hearing later that day that she only found out about her connections to the syndicate after reading Hontiveros' post.[d]
Some members of theHouse of Representatives also expressed intent to launch a parallel probe of Guo.[122] It also recommended that Guo be temporarily stripped of authority over the Bamban municipalpolice force pending her suspension.[123] In response, Guo said that she would not resign and would instead seek reelection as mayor in local elections scheduled in 2025.[124]
PresidentBongbong Marcos also supported an investigation, adding that she had been under investigation by authorities for some time and that she was not known to most politicians in Tarlac.[84][125] In an apparent effort to refute Marcos' claims that "no one knows her", photos from Guo'sFacebook and othersocial media profiles resurfaced showing both Guo and Marcos together. Photos from March 2022 showed both Guo and Marcos in red shirts andface masks during the 2022 election campaign,[109] as well as photos of Guo doing ahigh five withLeyte's 1st district representativeMartin Romualdez. Another photo from February 2024 also showed Guoelbow bumping with Marcos during the latter's inspection of theAirport–New Clark City Access Road (ANAR).[126]
On May 26, 2024,Chinese-Filipino activist and academicTeresita Ang See criticized the Senate investigation for focusing too heavily on Guo, claiming that the investigation has been diverted from its main subject of POGOs into an interrogation into Guo's lifestyle and ability to speak inChinese languages. Ang-See called for the investigation to "focus on the issues that aid legislation", denouncing the current investigation as a "ridiculous tear-jerker 'zarzuela'".[127][128]
Guo later skipped the Senate hearings on June 25 and July 10, 2024, citing her physical and mental health as the reason.[129] Consequently, she wassubpoenaed by SenatorRisa Hontiveros on June 25[130] and cited forcontempt by theSenate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, chaired by Hontiveros, on July 10.[131] On July 11, Guo's assets were ordered frozen by theCourt of Appeals, following a request from theAnti-Money Laundering Council.[73] On July 12, the Senate released an arrest order for Guo and her alleged relatives over the contempt charges.[132] However, subsequent searches at her possible locations failed to locate her.[133]
On August 14, a complaint was filed against Guo by theBureau of Internal Revenue fortax evasion amounting to₱500,000 relating to her transactions in Baofu.[134] On August 30, Guo and 22 others were charged withmoney laundering by authorities.[135] On September 5, an arrest warrant was issued by a court inCapas, Tarlac against Guo on charges of graft and corruption.[136]
After being repatriated from Indonesia, where she had been hiding, Guo reappeared in the Senate hearing on September 9, 2024, but was cited in contempt for a second time by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality forperjury and giving evasive answers.[137][138] In the hearing, it was revealed that Guo was found to have paid Baofu's electric bills totaling₱51.718 million when she was mayor from 2022 to 2024.[139] On September 17, the DOJ filed qualified human trafficking charges against Guo and others before thePasig Regional Trial Court.[140]
On September 19, 2024, Guo appeared in a hearing of theHouse of Representatives Quad Committee, a merger of the congressional committees ondangerous drugs,public order and safety,human rights, andpublic accounts, as part of its investigation into extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs, and POGOs. She was again cited in contempt for giving evasive answers.[141]
On October 3, 2024, the NBI charged Guo with falsification of documents, perjury and obstruction of justice over her fraudulent signing of legal documents while she was in hiding.[142]
On December 12, 2024, the House of Representatives lifted its contempt citation against Guo, citing her custody in separate court cases.[143]
On January 15, 2025, Guo and her co-accused were charged with 62 counts of money laundering by the DOJ.[144]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Two YouTube videos | |
 She Zhijiang: Discarded Chinese spy or criminal mastermind?.101 East.Al Jazeera English. September 26, 2024.Archived from the original on September 30, 2024 – via YouTube. | |
| Wang Fugui (interviewee) (October 8, 2024).She Zhijiang’s ex-cellmate Wang Fugui on Alice Guo: She's a spy but "not a special one". Office of SenatorRisa Hontiveros.Archived from the original on October 8, 2024 – viaRappler on YouTube. |
Guo's dubious family background and citizenship issues led her to be tagged as a Chinese spy as early as May 2024 when SenatorRisa Hontiveros have asked her if she is a Chinese "asset" trained to infiltrate and influence the Philippine government.[105][106][145]
She Zhijiang, a Chinese businessman, convicted criminal, and self-confessed spy currently imprisoned in Thailand, accused Guo of being a Chinese spy in an interview with theAl Jazeera English documentary program101 East.[146] An associate of She showed a dossier on a Guo Hua Ping that he claimed was about Alice Guo. The dossier claimed she was the daughter of a Lin Wen Yi and listed her home address as being inFujian. A visit by an Al Jazeera researcher to the stated address found it to be the local headquarters of theChinese Communist Party, and a number of local residents interviewed said that they recognized Guo as the daughter of Lin Wen Yi, and that she lived in the area until 2002. She appealed to Guo to confess for her own safety.[147]
In response to the documentary being shown at aHouse of Representatives inquiry on September 27, Guo denied being a spy and of ever knowing She, and threatened to file a lawsuit against him as well as against Al Jazeera.[7][148][149]
Hontiveros on October 8 said that Wang Fugui, a former cellmate of She, through ateleconference interview backed the allegation. Wang said Guo is indeed a spy but not a "special" spy and that it just happened that She has a copy of Guo's supposed state security background.[150] Wang also claimed that Guo's 2022 mayoral campaign was "arranged by Chinese state security".[151]
On November 26, theNational Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) stated that there is consensus in the intelligence community that Guo is an "agent of influence".[152]
On August 19, 2024, Senator Risa Hontiveros released documents appearing to show that Guo had fled the Philippines for Malaysia on July 18 before going to Singapore and taking a ferry toRiau Islands, Indonesia.[153] The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission later said that Guo arrived in Indonesia on August 18.[154] This was despite the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order issued by the DOJ on June 25, 2024, against Guo and 17 others.[155] In contrast, lawyer Elmer Galicia, who notarized Guo's counter-affidavit for human trafficking charges, said that he had personally spotted Guo in the Philippines on August 14, while her lawyer Stephen David claimed that she was in the country at that time based on their conversation the day before.[156] However, Galicia later admitted that Guo did not personally swear the document before him, and a signature mismatch was later revealed by the NBI nearly a month later.[157][158] Conflicting reports emerged as to how Guo fled the Philippines, with officials saying that she escaped by air[159] and Alice and Shiela Guo saying that they fled by boats.[160][161]
On August 20, the Philippine government ordered the cancellation of the passports of Guo and her relatives.[162] On August 21, Shiela Guo andCassandra Ong were detained inBatam, Indonesia,[163] and repatriated to the Philippines the next day.[164] By August 26, Guo was reportedly inJakarta, according to the Bureau of Immigration.[165] On September 3, Guo was arrested by theDirectorate General of Immigration and theIndonesian National Police inTangerang.[166] On September 5, she was turned over by Indonesian authorities to Philippine authorities led by Interior and Local Government SecretaryBenhur Abalos and was deported back to the Philippines.[16] According to Abalos, Guo cited threats to her security as her reason to go abroad.[167] She arrived inMetro Manila through a private jet in the early hours of September 6 and was detained overnight at thePhilippine National Police (PNP) headquarters inCamp Crame, Quezon City.[168][169] Later that day, she was transferred toCapas, Tarlac, as part of an arrest warrant for graft charges.[17] Guo initially opted not to post bail for the case until September 20.[170][171] Thus, she would remain in Camp Crame under PNP custody, pending a final decision regarding the overlapping cases against her in the Senate and in Capas.[172] On September 13, the graft charges against Guo were transferred to the jurisdiction of a court inValenzuela.[173] On September 14, the Supreme Court ordered the Capas RTC Branch 66 to transfer the non-bailable trafficking cases, under Republic Act No. 9208 of Guo and five others to thePasig RTC.[174]
On September 20, the Valenzuela RTC Branch 282 rescheduled Guo's arraignment to September 30 regarding two counts of graft, in response to the pending motion to quash information filed by Guo's camp when the case was still in Capas. Additionally, the Pasig City RTC Branch 167 ordered Guo's transfer from the Camp Crame Custodial Center to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory.[175] The transfer occurred on September 23 and, following a mandatory medical and physical examination, she was diagnosed with a suspected left lung infection but tested negative fortuberculosis.[176]
Critics, including lawmakers and social media users, condemned the warm reception Guo had received from Philippine officials in Indonesia, which included them posing cheerfully in photographs with her, a practice deemed more suitable for celebrity encounters than law enforcement.[178] A photo of Secretary Abalos andPNP chiefRommel Marbil documenting a private meeting with Guo was particularly given focus by critics for its bad optics.[179]
SenatorRisa Hontiveros criticized the authorities in the photos, emphasizing that Guo was a fugitive with a human trafficking case and "not a celebrity."[178] The authorities' actions were described as a "mockery" for the Philippines, highlighting the public's concern over the integrity of the legal process in Guo's case.[177] Officials from the agencies which directly participated in her arrest subsequently apologized over the issue.[180][181] PresidentBongbong Marcos later defended the nature of the photographs as part ofselfie culture.[182] On September 9, Marcos dismissed Norman Tansingco as commissioner of theBureau of Immigration, citing the agency's failure to prevent Guo's escape.[183]
| According to Guo | Contradictory information | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal birth name | Alice Leal Guo | Guo Hua Ping (as perChinese passport;[184] and fingerprint analysis by theNBI[26]) |
| Birth date (and age) | (1986-07-12)July 12, 1986 (age 38) (as per Philippine birth certificate[26]) | (1990-08-31)August 31, 1990 (age 34) (as perChinese passport[184]) |
| Birthplace | Tarlac,Tarlac,Philippines(as per 2019COC) | Fujian,China (as perChinese passport[184]) |
| Citizenship | Filipino | Chinese (as perSIRV[184]) |
| Mother | Amelia Leal | Lin Wen Yi (as perSIRV) |
| Father | Jian Zhong Guo (Angelito Guo) | — |
| Education | Homeschooled(under "Teacher Rubilyn") | Grace Christian High School(as per enrollment forms) |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Alice Guo | 16,503 | 42.98 | |||
| NPC | Joey Salting | 16,035 | 41.76 | |||
| Aksyon | Diegogarcia Ilagan | 3,230 | 8.41 | |||
| PDP–Laban | Joseph Gomez | 2,372 | 6.18 | |||
| Independent | Son Marimla | 126 | 0.33 | |||
| Independent | Nestor Serrano | 83 | 0.22 | |||
| Independent | Ferdinand Mariano | 48 | 0.13 | |||
| Total votes | 35,497 | 100.00 | ||||
| Independentgain fromNPC | ||||||
Media related toAlice Guo (politician) at Wikimedia Commons