Alice Leal Guo[3] (Chinese:郭華萍[lower-alpha 2];pinyin:GuōHuápíng;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 of Bamban,Tarlac,from June 30,2022,to August 13,2024.
Guo was accused of being a Chinese spy[6] 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 the Ombudsman after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed graft charges against her over alleged connections with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities in her municipality.[7] She was dismissed on August 13,2024,by the Ombudsman. In a Senate Committee inquiry,Guo was alleged by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Win Gatchalian to have links to illegal activities by POGOs following raids in Bamban in 2023 and 2024. Her Filipino citizenship has also been questioned and is now being investigated due to inconsistencies in her documents and testimony.[8][9][10]
In July 2024,Guo's assets were frozen and an arrest order was issued for her.[11] In August 2024,it was reported that Guo had already fled the Philippines on July 17 for Malaysia,and then traveled to Singapore,[12] and finally to Indonesia,[13] where she was arrested on September 3,2024 and deported back to the Philippines on September 5.[14][15] She is currently detained in the Philippines under police custody.[16]
Personal life
Birth and ancestry
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 of Tarlac,[17] Philippines,on August 31,1990,originally thought to be July 12,1986;her family's Special Investors Resident Visa (SIRV) application documents placed her birthplace at Fujian,China.[18][19][20][21][22] The National 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.[23] Residents at the reported address of the second Alice Guo in Quezon City stated they were unaware of anyone named Alice Guo residing there.[24] The NBI later confirmed that the fingerprints of mayor Alice Guo and Chinese national Guo Hua Ping matched,suggesting that they are the same person.[25]
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.[26][27][28] 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 in Valenzuela and the Guo family's SIRV application documents.[22][29][30] Guo claimed to be her father's illegitimate child with Amelia,resulting in her being raised by her father in seclusion on a pig farm in Tarlac City. However,discrepancies arose when the birth certificates of Guo,Chinese national Zhang Mier alias[31] 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.[32][33] Furthermore,the couple was found to have no existing birth and marriage records in the Philippine Statistics Authority.[19][34] Jian Zhong Guo and Lin Wen Yi are co-incorporators in multiple businesses with Guo,claiming the same address in Quezon City according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records.[30][35][36] Guo had initially denied that Lin was her biological mother and insisted that Amelia exists,[37][38] but later admitted that Jian Zhong Guo and Lin Wen Yi are her parents.[39]
Guo initially denied knowing Shiela and Seimen Guo,but Bureau of Immigration (BI) records suggest they had traveled abroad together.[40] She later confirmed them as her paternal half-siblings,despite their birth certificates suggesting they are full siblings.[41] However,both Guo and Sheila later separately denied being biological sisters,[42] with Shiela claiming that Jian Zhong Guo is her foster father.[43] It was later revealed that Guo has another full sibling named Wesley (born 1990,also known as Guo Xiang Dian according to the NBI)[44] and reportedly five more siblings.[45][46]
In July 2024,Solicitor-General Menardo Guevarra filed a petition to cancel Guo's birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority,following doubts raised on her origins and citizenship.[47]
Early life and education
Some residents of Bamban,including those from barangay Virgen de los Remedios,said that Guo lived and grew up there,[27][48] adding that she also has a sibling.[49] Guo has stated that her family raised pigs for a living and that she grew up on a farm.[50] She also claimed to have spent her teenage life in Concepcion,Tarlac.[49] Furthermore,registration records of her companies showed that she had residency in Marilao,Bulacan,and Valenzuela,Metro Manila,citing her parents' embroidery business in the latter.[18] However,it was revealed that no such business existed,and her listed home address in Valenzuela belonged to a certain Bayle family,according to Senator Win Gatchalian.[19][51]
Guo stated during a testimony at a joint Philippine Senate Committee investigation that she was homeschooled.[52] However,her birth was only registered on November 22,2005,[53][54][55] 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.[56] It was later revealed that Guo attended Grace Christian High School (now Grace Christian College) from 2000 to 2003,covering Grades 1 to 3,according to her school enrollment forms.[57] 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 with English.[58]
Her failure to recall details of her birth and early life during the Senate inquiry led to online ridicule,with her being dubbed My Amnesia Girl (a locally produced film from 2010) in a popular meme.[59][60]
Residency
According to Guo's Certificate of Candidacy for Mayor filed before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2021,she declared herself unmarried and claimed lifelong residency in the Philippines,residing at her registered address in Bamban for 18 years by that time.[17] It was revealed that she registered as a voter of Bamban in April 2021,just 13 months before the 2022 general elections,while COMELEC spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that she had registered in 2018.[61][62] She also claimed to have held a Philippine passport,the only one she possesses,since when she was between 17 and 19 years old,around 2003 to 2005.[63] Her family's SIRV application documents indicate that,as Guo Hua Ping,she also holds a Chinese passport and migrated to the Philippines on January 12,2003,at the age of 12.[22] 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.[64]
Wealth
According to her December 2023 Statement of Assets,Liabilities,and Net Worth (SALN),Guo reported a net worth of ₱177.5million,with assets totaling ₱367 million and liabilities exceeding ₱189 million. Her assets include nine properties in Marilao,Bamban,and Capas,acquired for over ₱20 million since 2008,three dump trucks worth ₱2 million each,and a helicopter,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.[65]
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.[38]Anti-Money Laundering Council documents also revealed billions of pesos were deposited into Guo's bank accounts.[66] 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 the Court of Appeals,which issued a freeze order on these assets on July 11,2024.[67][68][69]
Guo was alleged to own a McLaren 620R,which she denied. She insisted that it was borrowed from a friend for a car show event in Concepcion,Tarlac.[70] As of May 2024,the Land Transportation Office has 12 vehicles in record under Guo's name and not under one of her businesses,the McLaren is not among these.[71] Guo says she uses a GACGS8 vehicle for her personal use.[72][73]
Miscellaneous
Conflicting details have also emerged of Guo's relationships. During the Senate hearings into her,Senator Jinggoy Estrada said that Guo has a live-in partner who manages POGO operations,while Guo said she is single.[74] She was also linked to Sual,Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo Calugay,but they denied having a romantic relationship and clarified that they are just friends.[75][76][77] Six businesses bear the combination of their names.[78] Calugay's executive assistant was later found to have helped Guo in notarizing her counter-affidavit after she had fled the country.[79]
Guo has also said that she identifies her mother tongue as Filipino and is proficient in only a few Hokkien words. She has little fluency in Kapampangan,a language common in Bamban.[54] 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.[58]
Political career
Alice Guo (center) takes part in the awarding ceremony by the Department of the Interior and Local Government in May 2023. The DILG gave rescue vehicles for Bamban due to the town receiving a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award in 2022.
In October 2021,Guo filed her certificate of candidacy to run for municipal mayor of Bamban,Tarlac,as an independent 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 the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte for president and vice president,respectively.[80] Her campaign expenses,according to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE),exceeded ₱134,000.[61] In 2024,she stated that she had received support from her friends and from the "previous administration" during the campaign.[50] She also prominently used the color pink for her campaign.[81] 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.[82]
In May 2022,Guo won the mayoralty race,garnering 16,503 votes against her closest rival,Anupul barangay captain Joey Salting,[61] who received 16,035 votes in the seven-way contest.[83] She became the first female municipal mayor of Bamban.[18] Assuming office on June 30,2022,she initiated projects including the Barangayan,offering complimentary medical,dental,and documentation services and rabies vaccinations for both dogs and cats.[27] In the third quarter of 2023,following Bamban's receipt of a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG),Guo joined the Nationalist 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,[84] was ordered suspended on a preventive basis for six months by the Ombudsman as part of an investigation into her alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). The order gave due course to the DILG's May 24 complaint.[85]
Guo was removed from the NPC on June 22,2024.[86] In July 2024,Solicitor-General Menardo Guevarra filed a quo warranto petition with the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 to nullify Guo's election as mayor.[87] 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.[88] As her vice mayor,Leonardo Anunciacion,and seven members of the Sangguniang 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.[83][89]
Business career
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 to Securities and Exchange Commission records.[18]
Air taxi venture
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 an air taxi business but was compelled to sell the aircraft after the venture did not meet their expectations.[70]
Car dealership
Westcars Incorporated is one of the businesses affiliated with Guo. It is a car dealership registered on March 16,2016.[71] Senator Risa Hontiveros in the 2024 Senate inquiry has alleged Guo to own 16 vehicles which includes sports utility vehicles,vans,and trucks which Guo reasoned is associated with the Westcars venture.[72]
Alleged links to POGOs
Now closed Baofu Land Development compound,a POGO hub in Bamban.Notice of closure in Baofu Land Development's compound in Bamban.
Starting in June 2024,Guo faced cases in the Senate,the Department of Justice (DOJ),the Ombudsman and in the courts.[90] Senator Win Gatchalian revealed Guo's alleged links with the firm Zun Yuan Technology,Inc.,an online casino firm that was registered in the Philippines as a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).[91] Prior to her election in 2022,[92] Guo had applied for the license of Hongsheng Gaming Technology,Inc.;[91] and in late 2020,the Bamban municipal council approved its establishment and operation.[93] Hongsheng had its license to operate cancelled by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) by 2022.[93] In 2019,Baofu Land Development was incorporated by Guo,Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying,with Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon and Cypriot national,Huang Zhiyang. Furthermore,Guo was reportedly spotted with a Bulgari Serpenti Viper necklace worth ₱11.9 million (US$203,000),a Louis Vuitton silk shirt,and a Chanel bag.[94][95]
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,[92] was twice raided by the authorities:in February 2023,for alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment scams;[96] and in March 2024,due to allegations of human trafficking and other cybercrimes;[97] at that time,it had been renamed Zun Yuan.[91]
Guo during the Senate hearing on her alleged POGO ties in September 2024
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.[92][8] 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.[98] Guo stated that being one of the incorporators of Baofu,she later sold her shares upon entering politics.[99]
During the inquiry,Senator Risa Hontiveros suggested 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.[99] Guo stressed that she was "not a coddler,not a protector of POGOs",[100] adding in a subsequent interview by Karen Davila that she had been rattled by senators' questions into her private life and was opposed to POGOs.[101]
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 to quo warranto under Rule 66,Revised Rules of Court.[10] On May 23,Senate President Francis Escudero said that the burden of proof regarding Guo's citizenship lies upon the accusers.[102]
The Department of the Interior and Local Government in its updated report submitted on May 17,[103] subsequently recommended that Guo be suspended by the Ombudsman following what it called "troubling findings" during its investigation over her alleged connections to POGOs.[104] Ombudsman Samuel Martires,however,told 24 Oras that his office has received the DILG's unsigned task force's fact-finding report copy. In effect the Ombudsman remanded Guo's case hinting that the DILG ought to file a valid criminal complaint with attached legal documents for Guo's criminal investigation prior to preventive suspension.[105][106] In response,Bamban vice mayor Leonardo Anunciacion said there was no basis for Guo to be suspended,while Moncada mayor Estelita Aquino,the president of the League 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.[107] The Nationalist People's Coalition also announced an investigation into Guo,with party member Win Gatchalian urging the NPC to expel her.[108][109] On June 1,the DILG announced that it had filed a criminal complaint to the Ombudsman dated May 24 charging Guo with graft.[110] 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.[111]
On May 21,2024,Hontiveros on her social media account revealed that Guo's business associates,Lin Baoying and Zhang Ruijin,were involved in the largest money laundering case in Singapore amounting to S$3.0billion. Guo stated during the Senate hearing later that day that she only found out about her connections to the syndicate after reading Hontiveros' post.[112][113][114][115][excessive citations]
Some members of the House of Representatives also expressed intent to launch a parallel probe of Guo.[116] It also recommended that Guo be temporarily stripped of authority over the Bamban municipal police force pending her suspension.[117] In response,Guo said that she would not resign and would instead seek reelection as mayor in local elections scheduled in 2025.[118]
President Bongbong 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.[80][119] In an apparent effort to refute Marcos' claims that "no one knows her",photos from Guo's Facebook and other social media profiles resurfaced showing both Guo and Marcos together. Photos from March 2022 showed both Guo and Marcos in red shirts and face masks during the 2022 election campaign,[103] as well as photos of Guo doing a high five with Leyte's 1st district representative Martin Romualdez. Another photo from February 2024 also showed Guo elbow bumping with Marcos during the latter's inspection of the Airport–New Clark City Access Road (ANAR).[120]
On May 26,2024,Chinese-Filipino activist and academic Teresita 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 in Chinese 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'".[121][122]
On August 14,a complaint was filed against Guo by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for tax evasion amounting to ₱500,000 relating to her transactions in Baofu.[128] On August 30,Guo and 22 others were charged with money laundering by authorities.[129] On September 5,an arrest warrant was issued by a court in Capas,Tarlac against Guo on charges of graft and corruption.[130]
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 for perjury and giving evasive answers.[131][132] 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.[133] On September 17,the DOJ filed qualified human trafficking charges against Guo and others before the Pasig Regional Trial Court.[134]
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 to Riau Islands,Indonesia.[136] The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission later said that Guo arrived in Indonesia on August 18.[137] This was despite the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order issued by the Department of Justice on June 25,2024,against Guo and 17 others.[138] 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.[139] 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.[140][141] Conflicting reports emerged as to how Guo fled the Philippines,with officials saying that she escaped by air[142] and Alice and Shiela Guo saying that they fled by boats.[143][144]
On August 20,the Philippine government ordered the cancellation of the passports of Guo and her relatives.[145] On August 21,Sheila Guo and Cassandra Ong were detained in Batam,Indonesia,[146] and repatriated to the Philippines the next day.[147] By August 26,Guo was reportedly in Jakarta,according to the Bureau of Immigration.[148] On September 3,Guo was arrested by the Directorate General of Immigration and the Indonesian National Police in Tangerang.[149] On September 5,she was turned over by Indonesian authorities to Philippine authorities led by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and was deported back to the Philippines.[15] According to Abalos,Guo cited threats to her security as her reason to go abroad.[150] She arrived in Metro Manila through a private jet in the early hours of September 6 and was detained overnight at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame,Quezon City.[151][152] Later that day,she was transferred to Capas,Tarlac,as part of an arrest warrant for graft charges.[16] Guo initially opted not to post bail for the case until September 20.[153][154] 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.[155] On September 13,the graft charges against Guo were transferred to the jurisdiction of a court in Valenzuela.[156] 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 the Pasig RTC.[157]
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.[158] 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 for tuberculosis.[159]
"Celebrity" treatment controversy
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (left) and PNP chief Rommel Marbil (right) accompanying Guo (center) during her deportation proceedings in Indonesia. This particular photo drew negative reception in the Philippines due to Guo and the officials cheerful behavior when taken to context the actual circumstances behind the photo.
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.[161] A photo of Secretary Abalos and PNP chief Rommel Marbil documenting a private meeting with Guo was particularly given focus by critics for its bad optics.[162]
Senator Risa Hontiveros criticized the authorities in the photos,emphasizing that Guo was a fugitive with a human trafficking case and "not a celebrity."[161] 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.[160] Officials from the agencies which directly participated in her arrest subsequently apologized over the issue.[163][164] President Bongbong Marcos later defended the nature of the photographs as part of selfie culture.[165] On September 9,Marcos dismissed Norman Tansingco as commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration,citing the agency's failure to prevent Guo's escape.[166]
↑ As written by World News, a Binondo-based Chinese-language newspaper.[4][5] The name is transliterated in pinyin as Guō Huápíng. However, this information is independent of allegations that Guo is the same person as a Chinese citizen named Guo Hua Ping.
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↑ "華文報賀郭華萍廣告惹關注"[Chinese newspaper ad congratulating Guo Huaping attracts attention]. Chinese Commercial News (in Chinese). May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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