Former Bamban Mayor Sentenced to Life in Landmark Pogo Case
A Pasig court delivered a decisive verdict on Thursday, November 20, 2025, sentencing former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Leal Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, to life imprisonment. The ruling comes after she was found guilty of qualified human trafficking charges connected to a massive illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in her municipality.
The Court's Decision and Co-Accused
The court found Guo and her co-accused—Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, Jaimielyn Cruz, and Walter Wong Rong—guilty of the grave offense. Additionally, Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang, and Lang Xu Po were convicted for their direct acts of trafficking. All defendants received a sentence of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.
Each convict was also ordered to pay a P2 million fine per case, on top of being mandated to provide monetary reparations to the victim-complainants. Guo and her 15 co-accused, who were all detained at the Pasig City Jail, attended the promulgation of the case solely via video conference.
The Raid That Exposed the Operation
The case stems from a 2024 raid on Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated (ZYTI) in Bamban. The operation led to the apprehension of 800 employees, which included around 500 foreigners. Among those arrested were 427 Chinese nationals.
The proximity of the illegal Pogo compound, which was just a stone's throw away from the Bamban municipal hall, cast immediate suspicion on then-Mayor Guo for her failure to detect the criminal activities. This triggered multiple government investigations into her background and true identity.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) later confirmed through a fingerprint examination that Alice Guo is the same person as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. In a final blow, the court also ordered the forfeiture of the raided compound in favor of the Philippine government.
