Thu Nov 20 05:12:11 UTC 2025: News Article:
Philippine Court Sentences ‘Fake Filipina’ Mayor and Others to Life in Prison for Human Trafficking
Manila – A Philippine court today sentenced Alice Guo, a Chinese national who masqueraded as a Filipina to become mayor of a town north of Manila, and seven others to life in prison on charges of human trafficking. The conviction stems from Guo’s role in overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling center where hundreds were forced to run scams under threat of torture.
The sprawling complex, uncovered in March 2024 after a Vietnamese worker escaped, housed over 700 individuals from various nationalities. Authorities found documents indicating Guo was the president of the company owning the compound.
State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas confirmed the life sentences, declining to name the co-defendants due to confidentiality laws. A spokesman for the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission stated that Guo and three others were convicted of organizing trafficking within the compound, while four more were found guilty of acts of trafficking.
Guo, 35, was arrested in Indonesia in September 2024 after fleeing the Philippines. A Manila court had previously ruled that Guo, as a Chinese citizen, was ineligible to hold public office, nullifying her mayorship of Bamban town where the scam center was located.
The Chinese Embassy has not yet commented.
The case highlights the growing issue of transnational scam industries in Southeast Asia, with victims globally losing billions. The Philippines had seen a rise in these centers under the previous administration, but President Ferdinand Marcos announced a ban on offshore gambling operations in 2024 in response to public outrage.
First Piper 