Mayor sentenced to life in prison for human trafficking

Alice Guo, a Chinese national who served as a mayor in the Philippines under a false identity, has been sentenced to life in prison on human trafficking charges. Guo was accused of operating illegal online gambling activities in the town of Bamban, north of Manila.

Authorities stated that Guo was the figure behind a vast online gambling complex operated by Chinese groups. The complex included office buildings, luxury villas, and a large swimming pool. The facility was raided in March 2024 after a Vietnamese worker escaped and alerted the police, leading to the rescue of more than 700 victims. The victims included individuals from the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Rwanda.

State prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas announced that seven other individuals were sentenced to life in prison alongside Alice Guo. The prosecutor did not disclose the names of the other defendants due to privacy laws. The Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission stated that Guo and three others were found guilty of organizing human trafficking, while the other four were convicted of human trafficking acts.

Guo was captured in Indonesia and extradited to Manila after fleeing the Philippines in September 2024. A court ruling in June had declared that Guo was ineligible to serve as mayor because she was a Chinese citizen.

International scam centers, which have been growing in Southeast Asia in recent years, have victimized thousands of people. According to a United Nations report, losses by victims in the region reached 37 billion dollars in 2023. The growth of these centers in the Philippines accelerated with the expansion of gambling licensing authority during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Following the Alice Guo scandal, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned offshore gambling operations in 2024 and ordered foreign workers to leave the country.

News Source: 12punto