The fugitive former mayor of a small town in the Philippines, accused of connections to human trafficking via the online gambling industry, is likely headed for the notorious Golden Triangle region, according to authorities.
Alice Leal Guo, who served as the mayor of Bamban, fled the Philippines by speedboat on July 18 after failing multiple times to appear before a Senate committee investigating her case. Initially, Guo headed to Bali, then took a flight to Malaysia, and subsequently flew to Singapore. On August 18, she boarded a ferry to Batam, Indonesia, as per information from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in the Philippines.
The PAOCC announced this week that they believe Guo is navigating a circuitous route to the Golden Triangle, a semi-lawless area where the borders of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar intersect. This region is notorious for the influence of triads, drug cartels, and trafficking syndicates.
Guo’s situation first grabbed national attention after a police raid on a Philippine Online Gambling Operator (POGO) complex in her town of Bamban, located in the northern province of Tarlac, last February. The raid uncovered hundreds of trafficked workers, Guo’s car, and documents indicating that the land on which the POGO complex was built was partially owned by the mayor.
Further investigations into Guo’s background revealed discrepancies in her identity. Though she claimed to be a natural-born Philippine citizen, her birth certificate was registered when she was 17 years old. Moreover, her fingerprints matched those of a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, who entered the country as a teenager. Bamban residents reported that no one knew Guo before she ran for mayor in 2022, the same year all her social media accounts were created.
Investigators also discovered substantial sums of money deposited in Guo’s bank accounts, which were then transferred to other individuals and business entities in China. This has led to growing speculation that she could be a Chinese asset, a claim she has steadfastly denied.
The PAOCC asserts that Guo is linked to the “Fujian Clan,” a group of Chinese nationals who allegedly laundered at least $2.2 billion, primarily the proceeds of illegal online gambling, through Singapore’s banking system. Winston Casio, a spokesperson for the PAOCC, stated, “We are confident that she is trying to get into the Golden Triangle,” and noted that the Guo family also has business interests in Cambodia, another focal point for triad scam centers. He added, “They are part of a big criminal organization. The Fujian Gang, to which the Guos belong, is part of the Golden Triangle Triad.”
Guo’s escape has provoked the ire of President “Bongbong” Marcos. Speaking about those who likely assisted her, he sternly warned that “heads will roll” over the “corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust.”
