Alice Guo

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Leal and the surname or paternal family name is Guo.
Alice Leal Guo
Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Preceded byJose Antonio Feliciano
Vice MayorLeonardo Anunciacion
Personal details
Political partyNPC (since 2023)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Independent (until 2023)
OccupationBusinesswoman, politician
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese郭華萍
Simplified Chinese郭华萍

Alice Leal Guo[2] (Chinese: 郭華萍[3]) is a businesswoman and politician in the Philippines serving as the current mayor of the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac, since June 30, 2022.

In a Senate Committee inquiry, Guo was alleged by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Win Gatchalian to have links to illegal activities by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) following raids in Bamban in 2023 and 2024. Her Filipino citizenship has also been questioned and is now being investigated due to inconsistencies in her documents and testimony.[4][5][6]

Personal life[edit]

Birth and ancestry[edit]

Details of Guo's early life and educational background are disputed. Guo states that she was born at her home, whose location she did not recall, or in the then-municipality of Tarlac,[7] on July 12, 1986[8][9] to a Chinese-Filipino father and a Filipino mother. Discrepancies arise regarding the nationality of Guo's father (born in 1953 or 1954), as his birth certificate identified him as Filipino named Angelito Guo, while his business documents listed him as a Chinese national named Jian Zhong Guo. She claimed that she is her father's child born out of wedlock with their housemaid Amelia Leal,[10] who abandoned her as a baby.[11][12] As a result, she did not grow up with her mother and had been tenderly reared by his father at a pig farm in Tarlac City where she lived in seclusion. Additionally, an archived post on Bamban's official website showed Guo referring to Patrizia Josephine Nuguid Santos, a public relations expert working for her since 2022, as her mother in a greeting. However, observers noted a lack of resemblance between them, suggesting their non-familial relationship.[13][14][15] Guo's parents were found to have no existing birth records in the Philippine Statistics Authority.[16]

Early life and education[edit]

Some residents of Bamban, including those from barangay Virgen de los Remedios, said that Guo lived and grew up there,[11][17] adding that she also has a sibling.[18] Guo has also stated that her family raised pigs for a living and that she grew up on a farm.[19] According to registration records of her companies, she claimed residency in Marilao, Bulacan, and Valenzuela, Metro Manila, citing her parents' embroidery business in the latter.[8] However, it was revealed that no such business existed, and her listed home address in Valenzuela belonged to a certain Baile family, according to Senator Win Gatchalian.[20]

Guo stated during a testimony at a joint Philippine Senate Committee investigation that she was homeschooled.[21] However, her birth was only registered when she was 17 years old.[22] This delay cast doubts on her early life, given the absence of hospital birth records and her inability to identify her homeschool provider. The absence of traditional educational records prompted inquiries into the nature of her education, including whether she pursued college.[23] Her failure to recall details of her birth and early life during the Senate inquiry became subject to online ridicule, which led to her being dubbed My Amnesia Girl (a locally-produced film from 2010) in a popular meme.[24][25]

Residency[edit]

According to Guo's Certificate of Candidacy for Mayor filed before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2021, she declared herself unmarried and claimed lifelong residency in the Philippines, residing at her registered address in Bamban for 18 years by that time.[7] It was revealed that she registered as a voter of Bamban in April 2021, just 13 months before the 2022 general elections, while COMELEC spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that she had registered in 2018.[26][27] She also claimed to have held a Philippine passport, the only one she possesses, since when she was between 17 and 19 years old.[28]

Miscellaneous[edit]

Conflicting details have also emerged of Guo's relationships. During the Senate hearings into her, Senator Jinggoy Estrada said that Guo has a live-in partner who manages POGO operations, while Guo said she is single.[29] Guo has also said that she identifies her mother tongue as Filipino and is proficient in only a few Hokkien words.[30]

Political career[edit]

In October 2021, Guo filed her certificate of candidacy to run for municipal mayor of Bamban, Tarlac as an independent candidate. She tapped former mayor Leonardo Anunciacion as her running mate for vice mayor. During the campaign period for the 2022 elections, she expressed support for the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte for president and vice president, respectively.[31] Her campaign expenses, according to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), exceeded ₱134,000.[26] In 2024, she stated that she had received support from her friends and from the "previous administration" during the campaign.[19]

In May 2022, Guo won the mayoralty race, garnering 16,503 votes against her closest rival, Anupul barangay captain Joey Salting,[26] who received 16,035 votes in the seven-way contest.[32] Assuming office on June 30, 2022, she initiated projects including the Barangayan, offering complimentary medical, dental, and documentation services, alongside the provision of rabies vaccinations for both dogs and cats.[11] In the third quarter of 2023, following Bamban's receipt of a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Guo joined the Nationalist People's Coalition.[1]

Business career[edit]

Before venturing into politics, Guo has an extensive background as a businesswoman, serving as an incorporator and holding significant shares in at least 11 companies since 2010, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records.[8]

Alleged links to POGOs[edit]

Senator Win Gatchalian revealed Guo's alleged links with the firm Zun Yuan Technology, Inc., an online casino firm that was registered in the Philippines as a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).[33] Prior to her election in 2022,[34] Guo had applied for the license of Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc.;[33] and in late 2020, the municipal council approved its establishment and operation.[35] Hongsheng had its license to operate canceled by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) by 2022.[35]

The POGO hub, situated in the property which is owned by Baofu Land Development, Inc. and is located behind the municipal building in Barangay Anupul, Bamban,[34] was twice raided by the authorities: in February 2023, for alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment scams;[36] and in March 2024, due to allegations of human trafficking and other cybercrimes;[37] at that time, it had been renamed Zun Yuan.[33]

In May 2024, during a Senate inquiry, senators said that the POGO compound housed "mercenaries" allegedly involved in cybercrimes and surveillance activities, citing intelligence reports.[34][4] Meanwhile, Guo countered allegations against her, stating that she was the former landowner of the property, and her vehicle, found within the compound, was sold in 2020.[38] Guo stated that being one of the incorporators of Baofu, she later sold her shares upon entering politics.[39]

During the inquiry, Senator Risa Hontiveros floated an idea that Guo may be a Chinese "asset" trained to infiltrate the Philippine government and "have an influence in Philippine politics". In response to the allegations, Guo expressed dismay saying that she had been "judged prematurely" via a trial by publicity.[39] Guo stressed that she was "not a coddler, not a protector of POGOs",[40] adding in a subsequent interview by Karen Davila that she had been rattled by senators' questions into her private life and was opposed to POGOs.[41]

On May 16, 2024, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said he designated a "team of solicitors" to investigate if Guo is illegally "holding or exercising a public office" as prefatory to quo warranto under Rule 66, Revised Rules of Court.[6] The Department of the Interior and Local Government in its updated report submitted on May 17,[42] subsequently recommended that Guo be suspended by the Ombudsman following what it called “troubling findings” during its investigation over her alleged connections to POGOs.[43] Ombudsman Samuel Martires, however, told 24 Oras that his office has received the DILG's unsigned task force's fact-finding report copy. In effect the Ombudsman remanded Guo's case hinting that the DILG ought to file a valid criminal complaint with attached legal documents for Guo's criminal investigation prior to preventive suspension.[44][45] In response, Bamban's vice mayor, Leonardo Anunciacion said there was no basis for Guo to be suspended, while Moncada mayor Estelita Aquino, the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Tarlac chapter, of which Guo is the treasurer, also defended Guo, saying that she is “helpful and easy to get along with” and that Bamban had progressed under her leadership.[46]

On May 21, 2024, Hontiveros on her social media account revealed that Guo's business associates, Lin Baoying and Zhang Ruijin, were involved in the largest money laundering case in Singapore amounting to SG$ 2.8 billion. Guo stated during the Senate hearing later that day that she only found out about her connections to the syndicate after reading Hontiveros' post.[47][48][49]

Some members of the House of Representatives also expressed intent to launch a parallel probe of Guo.[50] It also recommended that Guo be temporarily stripped of authority over the Bamban municipal police force pending her suspension.[51] In response, Guo said that she would not resign and would instead seek reelection as mayor in local elections scheduled in 2025.[52]

President Bongbong Marcos also supported an investigation, adding that she had been under investigation by authorities for some time and that she was not known to most politicians in Tarlac.[31][53] In an apparent effort to refute Marcos' claims that "no one knows her", photos from Guo's Facebook and other social media profiles resurfaced showing both Guo and Marcos together. Photos from March 2022 showed both Guo and Marcos in red shirts and face masks during the 2022 election campaign,[54] as well as photos of Guo doing a high five with Leyte's 1st district representative Martin Romualdez. Another photo from February 2024 also showed Guo elbow bumping with Marcos during the latter's inspection of the Airport–New Clark City Access Road (ANAR).[55]

Electoral history[edit]

2022 Bamban mayoral election[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Alice Guo 16,503 42.98
NPC Joey Salting 16,035 41.76
Aksyon Diegogarcia Ilagan 3,230 8.41
PDP–Laban Joseph Gomez 2,372 6.18
Independent Son Marimla 126 0.33
Independent Nestor Serrano 83 0.22
Independent Ferdinand Mariano 48 0.13
Total votes 35,497 100.00
Independent gain from NPC

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Domingo, Katrina (May 19, 2024). "Will Alice Guo run under Marcos Jr. slate in 2025 elections?". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Certified List of Candidates (MUNICIPAL)" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "華文報賀郭華萍廣告惹關注" [Chinese newspaper ad congratulating Guo Huaping attracts attention]. Chinese Commercial News (in Chinese). May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Manabat, Joann (May 7, 2024). "Senators grill Bamban, Tarlac mayor with alleged POGO ties". Rappler. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Bajo, Anna Felicia (May 16, 2024). "Marcos says other politicians in Tarlac don't know Alice Guo". GMA News Online. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Laqui, Ian (May 16, 2024). "OSG forms team to 'look' into Bamban Mayor Guo's case". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ a b ABS-CBN News [@ABSCBNNews] (May 14, 2024). "LOOK: In her Certificate of Candidacy filed in 2021, Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, declared she is a Filipino citizen. The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality shared the document. | via @victoriatulad" (Tweet). Retrieved May 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ a b c Manabat, Joann; Go, Miriam Grace (May 16, 2024). "Who is Alice Guo, Bamban mayor suspected of being a Chinese asset?". Rappler. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Robles, Allan (May 21, 2024). "Embattled Philippine mayor Alice Guo explains evasiveness over mysterious past: 'I'm not a spy, I'm a love child'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Sarao, Zacarian (May 22, 2024). "Supposed parents of Alice Guo may not even exist, Hontiveros says". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Perez, Arra (May 16, 2024). "For acquaintances, Mayor Alice Guo a 'good person', 'long-time resident'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Locus, Sundy (May 20, 2024). "Alice Guo on identity question: I'm my father's love child". GMA Integrated News. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Di Pala Magkadugo! Alice Guo's 'Mommy' A PR Expert". Politiko (website). May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "Happiest Birthday! Mother of Mayor Alice Leal Guo". Official Website of Bamban Province of Tarlac. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mommy Mystery: Mayor Alice Guo's Birthday Greeting For Mother Vanishes From Bamban LGU's Website". Politiko. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  16. ^ Ombay, Giselle (May 22, 2024). "PSA data shows Alice Guo's 'parents' have no birth records". GMA News. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Mga residente sa Bamban, Tarlac, iginiit na totoong Pilipino si Mayor Alice Guo. YouTube (in Filipino). News5Everywhere. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "'I am Alice Guo... a Filipino citizen'". GMA News. May 14, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Uson, Melanie (May 10, 2024). "What we know about Alice Guo, the Bamban mayor who is allegedly linked to POGOs". The Philippine Star.
  20. ^ Valenzuela Home and Business of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo. YouTube (in Filipino). Win Gatchalian. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  21. ^ "Tarlac mayor's dubious identity puzzles, alarms senators; Bamban mayor denies links to POGO firm". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  22. ^ "Tarlac mayor Alice Guo's nationality questioned". Politiko Central Luzon. May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Tulad, Victoria (May 8, 2024). "Hontiveros questions nationality of Bamban mayor linked to POGOs". ABS-CBN.
  24. ^ Cator, Currie (May 16, 2024). "Filipinos Poke Fun at Bamban Mayor Alice Guo". Esquire PH.
  25. ^ Tulfo, Patrick (May 14, 2024). "Filipinos Poke Fun at Bamban Mayor Alice Guo". Saksi Ngayon.
  26. ^ a b c Perez, Arra (May 14, 2024). "Tarlac mayor Alice Guo's COC: 'I am a Filipino citizen'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  27. ^ Boledo, Jairo (May 16, 2024). "Solicitor General launches probe into Bamban Mayor Alice Guo". Rappler. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  28. ^ Cruz, Maricel (May 21, 2024). "Mayor Guo insists: I am a Filipino". Manila Standard. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  29. ^ Abanto, Rowegie (May 22, 2024). "Senator says Guo's live-in partner runs POGO; mayor says she has no boyfriend". ABS-CBN. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Tulad, Victoria (May 22, 2024). "Legarda to Guo: Convince us you're Filipino". ABS-CBN. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Relativo, James (May 17, 2024). "Marcos nais imbestigahan Alice Guo whom he 'does not know'" [Marcos wants to investiage 'hindi kilalang' Alice Guo]. Pilipino Star Ngayon (in Filipino). Philippine Star. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  32. ^ a b "2022 ELECTION RESULTS: Bamban, Tarlac". PHVOTE. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  33. ^ a b c Manabat, Joann (March 26, 2024). "Bamban mayor linked to raided POGO in Tarlac". Rappler. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Ramos, Marlon (May 8, 2024). "Senators probe Tarlac Pogo for 'spy ops'; mayor grilled". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Malig, Jun (February 2, 2023). "CIDG raids Pogo firm in Tarlac; rounds up 850 foreign, Filipino employees". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  36. ^ de Guzman, Victor (February 2, 2023). "Bamban POGO raided by CIDG". Tarlakenyo. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  37. ^ Tupas, Emmanuel (March 14, 2024). "875 held in Tarlac POGO hub raid". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  38. ^ Abarca, Charie (May 7, 2024). "Bamban mayor denies ties to raided Pogo firm in Tarlac". Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  39. ^ a b Ramos, Marlon (May 9, 2024). "Hontiveros won't let go of Bamban mayor over ties to Pogo". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  40. ^ Ginto, Joel (May 17, 2024). "Why is this small town mayor accused of being a Chinese spy?". BBC News. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  41. ^ "[EXCLUSIVE] Guo denies being a Chinese spy: 'I am a Filipino, I love my country'". ABS-CBN. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  42. ^ Cervantes, Filane Mikee (May 19, 2024). "Photos with Guo prove nothing". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  43. ^ "DILG urges Ombudsman to suspend Bamban mayor". ABS-CBN. May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  44. ^ Oliquino, Edjen (May 19, 2024). "No DILG suspension plea on Guo — Martires". Daily Tribune (Philippines). Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  45. ^ "Ombudsman suggests DILG file a complaint against Guo". GMA Integrated News. May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  46. ^ "Tarlac execs defend Bamban mayor". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  47. ^ Lam, Lydia. "Couple with S$325 million in assets seized in billion-dollar money laundering case denied bail". CNA. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  48. ^ "Hontiveros flags Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's 'ties' to Singapore criminals". Philstar.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  49. ^ Sarao, Zacarian (May 22, 2024). "Mayor Guo admits she's unaware of business partners' criminal records". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  50. ^ Oliquino, Edjen (May 18, 2024). "House wants parallel probe of Guo". Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  51. ^ "DILG recommends stripping Alice Guo of authority over Bamban police". ABS-CBN. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  52. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Bamban mayor Guo says she won't resign, will seek reelection". ABS-CBN. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  53. ^ Bajo, Anna Felicia (May 16, 2024). "Who is Alice Guo? No Tarlac politician knows her, says Marcos". GMA News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  54. ^ Cervantes, Filane Mikee (May 19, 2024). "Photos with Guo prove nothing". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  55. ^ Aurelio, Julie (May 18, 2024). "Guo makes her photos (with Marcos) do the talking". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
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