Alice Guo, the leader of Philippine Online Gaming Operator (POGO) who falsified her Filipino citizenship, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking.
Alice Guo (real name: Guo Hua Ping) was among eight individuals sentenced to life by the Pasig Regional Trial Court. The ruling comes as the country continues to grapple with the consequences of POGO operations, almost a year after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned the sector.
Guo was elected mayor of the town of Bamban in Tarlac province in 2022. However, two years later she was forced to flee the Philippines after accusations emerged that she was leading online scam operations.
During a raid in March 2024, authorities discovered more than 700 Filipino and foreign nationals, many of whom reported being forced to participate in fraudulent schemes. After the raid, Guo denied any involvement with the compound. However, it was later revealed that the POGO facility had been built on land owned by Guo. She was arrested in Indonesia in September 2024.
Further investigation showed that Guo, who was born in China, had falsified her Filipino identity to run for mayor of Bamban.
“The court’s promulgation on November 20, 2025, makes clear that Guo’s power, wealth, and public persona were built entirely on human trafficking, online scam operations, and a fabricated identity,” said the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) in a statement.
“This eagerly awaited ruling is not only a legal victory but also a moral one. It delivers justice to victims, reaffirms the government’s united stance against organised crime, and marks a defining moment in the country’s fight against large-scale trafficking and online scam syndicates.”
Along with life imprisonment, each convicted individual must pay 2 million Philippine pesos (£25,942) in compensation. Philippine authorities also secured the forfeiture of the Baofu compound – another site identified by PAOCC as a hub for trafficking, illegal gambling, and cyber fraud.
These revelations strongly support President Marcos’ decision to ban POGOs. When announcing the ban, he described their operations as having “expanded beyond gambling into financial fraud, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture – and even murder.”
Despite nearly a year having passed since the ban, PAOCC continues to pursue members of these networks. In total, the commission is handling 55 related cases: 33 are in active trial, eight are under preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice, ten are in case development, and five have already been resolved.
“PAOCC remains persistent in seeking justice for the victims who endured detention, threats, and exploitation inside the compound,” said the organisation. “These individuals were not mere figures in an investigation – they were human beings whose dignity was violated, and whose stories, courage, and cooperation made this victory possible.”
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