The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has filed graft charges against Bamban City Mayor Alice Guo due to her alleged involvement with a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in her jurisdiction, according to GMA News Online.
DILG Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas announced that the charges were filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on May 24. The charges stem from Mayor Guo’s issuance of a permit to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc. despite the company not meeting all the requirements and having an expired license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
During a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend,” Llamas stated that Guo should have revoked Hongsheng’s business permit. The DILG believes that this case could lead to Guo’s preventive suspension. Additionally, there are questions regarding Guo’s nationality and its connection to POGO operations.
This development follows a raid on March 13, where authorities discovered several devices linked to POGO operations in a 10-hectare area operated by Zun Yuan Technology Inc. Over 600 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued during the raid. The same complex had been previously raided in 2023 when it was operated by Hongsheng Technology Inc., a company now linked to Mayor Guo.
Furthermore, it was found that Guo was an incorporator of Baofu Land Development Inc., the owner of the land where the complex, featuring over 36 buildings, a swimming pool, and luxury cars, is located. While Guo has denied involvement in the POGO hub’s operations and claimed to have divested from Baofu before running for mayor in 2022, the DILG recommended her preventive suspension last month. This recommendation followed the creation of a task force on April 5 to investigate Guo’s alleged links to illegal POGO activities in Bamban.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also revealed that Guo had been under investigation for some time, as local politicians in Tarlac claimed they were not familiar with her.