Fitting finale to felon’s fairy tale

INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

It is incredible how, for a change, all key government agencies came together and swiftly moved to end the embarrassing episode of that controversial mayor who flouted our laws, and is linked to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) behind a slew of criminal activities.

On Monday, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal from service of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo for grave misconduct, a hefty serving of justice for her violation of Philippine laws in her masterful journey from suspicious citizenship to becoming mayor of a small town hosting a massive Pogo complex.

The resolution by Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered the forfeiture of Guo’s retirement benefits and, more importantly, banned her from entering government service again. It firmly established Guo’s ownership of Baofu Land Development Inc., which owned a 7.9-hectare property hosting two Pogos—Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc. and Zun Yuan Technology which was found to be running illegal activities, among them human trafficking, torture, and cyber scams including that involving cryptocurrency.

Contrary to Guo’s denials of Pogo involvement during Senate hearings, the Ombudsman found her actions from 2019 to 2022 when she was first elected mayor, to be imbued with “ulterior motives” committed with a “willful intent to violate the law or disregard established rules.” The Ombudsman also noted that as president of Baofu, which she purchased in 2019, and as Bamban mayor, Guo applied for multiple clearances for the construction of several Pogo buildings in the property sitting right behind the mayor’s office.

Evidence of corruption

“When Guo started to discharge her duties and responsibilities as municipal mayor, she remained to be the real, true, and actual president of Baofu … and [stood] to benefit from the continued operations of Hongsheng and Zun Yuan,” the Ombudsman added. The resolution pointed out the conflict of interest and evidence of corruption when Guo did not revoke Hongsheng’s permit after it was raided in February 2023 for allegedly operating a cryptocurrency investment scam. Guo also granted a permit to Zun Yuan despite its expiring license and lack of a proper fire safety clearance.

The Ombudsman’s order was a response to the complaint against Guo filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government in May, following a raid conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Zun Yuan for human trafficking and illegal detention of workers inside the Pogo hub.

In June, the PAOCC and the Philippine National Police filed a nonbailable qualified human trafficking charge against Guo before the Department of Justice in connection with the rescue of around 500 foreign Pogo workers at the Zun Yuan compound. In July, the Court of Appeals ordered a freeze on Guo’s assets and those of other companies and personalities in the Pogos linked to her.

Quo warranto petition

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Guo can still appeal the Ombudsman’s dismissal order, while his office pursues the quo warranto petition against her. The petition, filed on July 29 before a Manila court, seeks to nullify Guo’s election as mayor for her being ineligible as a Chinese citizen. Guevarra’s office also filed a petition with a Tarlac court to cancel Guo’s birth certificate.

On top of this, the Commission on Elections is pursuing a case of material misrepresentation against Guo who claimed to be a Filipino citizen when she ran for mayor. Following sustained exposés in the Senate, the National Bureau of Investigation has established that Guo’s fingerprints matched those of Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed tax evasion raps against her.

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From this concerted action by the government, one anticipates a satisfactory ending that would shatter the fairy tale spun by a maiden who claimed to be the lovechild of a Chinese father and his Filipino maid. In Guo’s fantastic narrative, that homeschooled child who was raised in a hog farm rose to become filthy rich with real estate properties, a fleet of luxury vehicles and a helicopter, and was even elected mayor.

Task ahead

But we’re not there yet. As pointed out by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who singlehandedly unraveled the Guo mystery: “All these cases against Alice Guo are well and good, but as long as she remains on the loose, our search for justice will not be complete.”

The government must similarly throw the book at those who enabled Guo’s grand scheme of deception and criminal activities, including the government officials and their cohorts who facilitated her ascent to public office despite her dubious nationality.

The strongest demonstration of the government’s resolve to enforce the law is Guo’s arrest and detention after conviction in a fair trial. She must not be allowed to escape accountability and mock our justice system. The task ahead is to find Guo, and put in place a fitting finale to this sordid drama.