A Philippine court on Thursday sentenced former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo — whom authorities later identified as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping — to life imprisonment for human trafficking tied to a multimillion-dollar scam hub built on land she partially owned.
The ruling caps a saga that rattled Manila’s politics after a 2024 police raid uncovered hundreds of trafficked workers at the Bamban complex and triggered a Senate probe into Guo’s identity and ties to Chinese syndicates, according to Reuters. The court also ordered the facility forfeited to the government and handed life terms to seven co-defendants, the government’s anti-crime agency said. (RELATED: China Can’t Even Hack America Without Importing American Technology First)
“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,” the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) reportedly said.
State prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas gestures after the verdict and sentencing at the Pasig Regional Trial Court on November 20, 2025. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
Guo, who ran for office as a Filipino, has denied criminal links and insisted she is a natural-born citize, the outlet reported. Lawmakers escalated their inquiry after the raid, and the Senate later held Guo in contempt when she refused to return for hearings. She fled the Philippines, was captured in Indonesia and deported in September 2024; the Ombudsman removed her from office the previous month for grave misconduct.
Authorities said the Bamban operation was part of a wider Southeast Asian boom in scam centers often staffed by trafficked foreign workers, according to Reuters. The controversy intensified calls to crack down on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, largely run by Chinese nationals serving clients in China; President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has since banned the industry.
Guo still faces separate graft and money laundering cases. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment after Thursday’s verdict.
