Bamban Mayor Alice Guo accused of human trafficking

The investigative branch of the Philippine National Police and an inter-agency agency focused on combating organized crime have filed a non-bailable human trafficking case against Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, due to his alleged ties to an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) center in his city.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) filed the complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) early Friday morning, carrying two boxes cardboard storage box containing evidence against the suspended room. official and 13 other respondents.

Based on a document shown to reporters, Guo, also known as “Guo Hua Ping,” and the other respondents were charged with violating Republic Act No. 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. , as amended by Republic Act No. 9208. . 10364 and amended by Republic Act No. 11862.

Guo was linked to an alleged “grand conspiracy to commit labor trafficking” of around 500 foreign Pogo workers who were rescued during a raid on the compound on March 13.

READ: BIR to investigate Guo for tax evasion

Authorities followed up on a Malaysian embassy report that a Malaysian national was detained and forced to work in one of Pogo's 36 multi-storey buildings in Sitio Pagasa, Anupul village in Bamban.

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said earlier that among the workers rescued from Pogo were 427 Chinese, 57 Vietnamese, eight Malaysians, three Taiwanese, two Indonesians and two Rwandans.

Others interviewed in the complaint are Dennis Cunanan, a former government official and pork barrel fraud convict, Zhang Ruijin, Baoying Lin, Rachelle Joan Carreon, Huang Zhiyang, Thelma Laranan, Rowena Evangelista, Rita Yturralde, Merlie Joy Castro, Yu Zheng Can, Jaimielyn Cruz, Roderick Paul Pujante and Juan Miguel Alpas.

“Constitutions created”

The case stems from a March 13 raid by the CIDG and PAOCC on the company Pogo Zun Yuan Technology, located on a 7.9-hectare property owned by Baofu Land Development Inc. just behind the Bamban Municipal Hall.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, who heads the Interagency Counter-Trafficking Council, said the prosecution found several pieces of evidence linking Guo to the Pogo operations, such as documents showing she requested a letter of no objection for operator Pogo Hongsheng Gaming Technology. .

“His involvement in the lessor company has also been revealed and there is also other evidence that his name appeared in the documents found in the Pogo compound,” Ty said during a press briefing.

Hongsheng reportedly changed its business name to Zun Yuan Technology Inc. after law enforcement first raided its facilities in Anupul, Tarlac, in February 2023.

Asked about Cunanan's involvement, Benjamin Samson, the lead prosecutor in charge of developing the case, said Zun Yuan's operations began with Baofu.

“Then another company was created. All these incorporations – we believe they are part of a grand conspiracy to commit labor trafficking. In one of the companies we found a document [with] the name Dennis Cunanan,” he said.

Earlier this week, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed documents showing that Cunanan, former deputy general manager of the defunct Technology Resource Center, acted as an “authorized representative” of two Pogo companies: Hongshen in Bamban, Tarlac and Lucky South 99 Limited Inc. in Porac, Pampanga.

“After gathering the evidence, we concluded and decided that he was part of the grand conspiracy. This is circumstantial evidence; this particular document cannot directly claim that it is part of the grand conspiracy, but it is only circumstantial evidence linking it to the conspiracy,” Samson said.

Ty stressed that the filing of the complaint was only the beginning of the process since the case would still undergo a preliminary investigation, through which the defendants could present evidence that will be evaluated by independent prosecutors.

“Due process”

“At the same time, if the case is filed in court, they also have the opportunity to give their point of view. There is no prejudice here, we are following due process,” he added.

In addition to the qualified human trafficking complaint filed yesterday, Samson said there is a “possibility” that the prosecution will file more complaints against the respondents.

In a statement Friday, Guo denounced the allegations raised by the PNP-CIDG and PAOCC, saying the evidence against her was “insufficient.”

“Having ties to companies or individuals, especially when they are vague, is not enough to tie someone to a case, especially when it involves human trafficking,” Guo said.

Following the filing of the criminal complaint, Ty said the department is currently working on issuing an immigration alert bulletin and a protective custody order against the accused.

Last month, the Ombudsman's Office suspended Guo and two others for up to six months after the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government filed corruption charges against them. The Solicitor General's Office is also investigating whether Guo has the legal right to hold public office before it can initiate quo warranto proceedings against her. —WITH A REPORT FROM MARLON RAMOS