MANILA — Former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo—also known as Guo Hua Ping—has been sentenced to reclusion perpetua (life imprisonment) by a Pasig court after being found guilty of qualified human trafficking in connection with criminal activities uncovered at an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in her town.

The decision, issued by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 167 on November 20, 2025, was confirmed by Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

The court also ordered Guo’s immediate transfer from the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory, where she is currently detained, to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Guo, along with her 15 co-accused, did not appear in person during the promulgation of the decision but attended via video conference.

The court likewise sentenced Guo’s co-accused—Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, Jaimielyn Cruz, Walter Wong Rong, Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang, and Lang Xu Po—to life imprisonment.

They were also ordered to pay a fine of P2 million each per case to the victim-complainants, in addition to monetary reparations.

The court further ordered the forfeiture of the P6-billion Baofu compound in favor of the government and the permanent revocation of the registrations of Baofu Land Development Inc., Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., and Zun Yuan Technology Inc.

“More than one year, napakabilis po, binigay sa ‘tin ang favorable decision. Convicted si Alice and seven accused. Life sentence at forfeited ang entire Baofu compound in favor of the government,” Torrevillas said following the decision.

The case against the dismissed mayor stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of Justice after a June 2024 raid on the POGO operated by Zun Yuan Technology on a property owned by Baofu, Guo’s leasing company. Baofu had rented out the spaces to Zun Yuan.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and PAOCC led the raid, during which over 800 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued.

The DOJ stated that Guo was charged with violating a provision of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022, which penalizes individuals who “organize, provide financial support, or direct other persons to commit acts of trafficking.”

Also named as respondents in the DOJ complaint were former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center Deputy Director General and Zun Yuan Technology representative Dennis Cunanan, along with other executives and founders of the three POGO companies. Torrevillas noted that Cunanan, as well as Chinese nationals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, remain at large.

PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda described the ruling against Guo as a triumph not only for the government but also for the victims of human trafficking.

“This eagerly awaited ruling is not only a legal victory but also a moral one. It delivers justice to victims, reaffirms the government’s united stance against organized crime, and marks a defining moment in the country’s fight against large-scale trafficking and online scam syndicates,” he said.

“This is not just a victory for the government but a victory for the victims, for the community pati na rin sa ibang bansa dahil nakikita natin na sa ibang biktima, may mga foreigners,” Acorda emphasized.

“This is a victory not only for our office but sa lahat ng ahensya na nagtrabaho rito,” he added, also thanking former PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilberto Cruz, whose work, he said, greatly contributed to the outcome of the case.

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