A Chinese national who fraudulently became a Philippines mayor while operating a massive human trafficking and scam centre has been sentenced to life imprisonment alongside seven accomplices.
The elaborate deception
Alice Guo, 35, successfully masqueraded as a Filipina citizen to secure election as mayor of Bamban town, located north of Manila. During her tenure, she secretly presided over a sophisticated criminal enterprise operating from a sprawling compound within her jurisdiction.
The elaborate scheme unravelled in March 2024 when a Vietnamese worker managed to escape the facility and alerted authorities. Subsequent police raids uncovered a shocking operation where more than 700 individuals from multiple nationalities were being forced to conduct online scams under threat of torture.
The criminal operation exposed
Investigators discovered that the complex contained office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool, serving as both workplace and prison for victims. Documents recovered from the site allegedly proved Guo served as president of the company that owned the entire compound.
Among those rescued were citizens from the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and Rwanda, all trapped in what prosecutors described as a transnational human trafficking operation.
State prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas confirmed outside a regional courthouse in Manila that all eight defendants received life sentences. "After over just one year, the court gave us a favourable decision. Alice Guo was convicted along with seven other co-accused," Torrevillas stated.
International ramifications
Following the raid and exposure of her crimes, Guo fled the Philippines but was apprehended by Indonesian police in September 2024. She faced deportation proceedings before being returned to face justice in Manila.
In a separate ruling in June, a Manila court determined that as a Chinese citizen, Guo had never been eligible to hold the position of mayor. The case has triggered significant political repercussions throughout the Philippines.
The scandal prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to announce a complete ban on offshore gambling operations in 2024, ordering all foreign nationals working at such sites to leave the country. This marked a dramatic policy shift from the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, during which such centres had flourished after the government regulator gained nationwide licensing authority.
According to United Nations estimates, victims across southeast Asia lost up to $37 billion to similar scam operations in 2023 alone, with global losses believed to be substantially higher. The case highlights the growing challenge of transnational organised crime networks exploiting regulatory loopholes across the region.
