The mayor, the scam and the Chinese spy accusations: Who is Alice Guo?

In early 2022, residents in the rural Philippine municipality of Bamban, situated north of Manila, gathered for a political rally supporting Alice Leal Guo, a youthful and ambitious candidate for mayor.

Donning pink attire, the favored color of their candidate, supporters buzzed with excitement while awaiting her arrival.

The distinct sound of a helicopter rotor soon filled the air, eliciting cheers from the assembled crowd. Guo, visible in the cockpit, sported a pink shirt and pilot’s headset, smiling and waving to her supporters below.

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As the aircraft landed, the throng erupted in unison, chanting “A-lice Guo! A-lice Guo!”

At 31 years old, Guo’s political trajectory was ascending. Her campaign promises of substantial subsidies and economic progress, delivered with an energetic and confident style, resonated deeply within the town, paving the way for her historic election as the first female mayor.

However, few among the cheering multitude could have foreseen that within three years, Guo would be incarcerated, confronting accusations of human trafficking and alleged espionage on behalf of China.

Her decline commenced with a police operation that exposed a complex engaged in large-scale scam activities, located in close proximity to her municipal office. As investigators probed deeper, Guo’s ambiguous responses regarding her background sparked a fundamental question: What is Alice Guo’s true identity?

Guo stated her transition to local politics stemmed from her experience in the swine industry, managing her family’s commercial pig farm for several years.

This career shift would necessitate considerable financial resources. Later questioned about her campaign funding, Guo attributed her mayoral bid’s support to associates and acquaintances from the pig farming sector.

Guo also maintained connections with several affluent Chinese business figures. While details remain scarce, some of these individuals have since been convicted of money laundering and now face human trafficking charges alongside Guo.

Her campaign emphasized her optimistic public image. During a campaign event, Guo proclaimed to the audience, “For our team, principle number one is: Do no harm! No harm is permissible, we should only promote love, love, love!”

Such upbeat pronouncements acquired an ironic undertone when authorities later revealed alleged harm and suffering occurring under Guo’s administration. Upon assuming office in June 2022, she infused Bamban Municipal Hall with the youthful dynamism of her campaign, adorning it with pink paint and floral decorations.

“Alice was attractive, kind, and supportive of women,” stated Priscilla May Aban, 31, a local vegetable vendor. She informed the BBC of her vote for Guo specifically because of her gender, adding that Mayor Guo had facilitated employment opportunities for women in the town as cleaners.

Based on BBC interviews with Bamban residents, Guo was generally perceived as a compassionate and understanding leader. Miah Mejia, daughter of one of Guo’s political allies, claimed she provided scholarships to every household in the locality. Another interviewee mentioned receiving cash assistance for school fees instead of a college scholarship.

Francisco Flores, 75, emotionally recounted, “She assisted numerous impoverished individuals in Bamban, providing medication, and her demeanor was such that you would never anticipate any issues.”

He proudly noted the introduction of a McDonald’s and a Jollibee outlet, a popular Filipino fast-food chain, during Guo’s administration.

Online, pro-Guo social media accounts depicted her as a progressive young mayor presiding over an idyllic, pink-themed world of parades, buffalo races, and concerts.

However, a year and a half into her mayoral tenure, this meticulously constructed image began to disintegrate.

In February 2024, Philippine law enforcement received information regarding a Vietnamese citizen who escaped captivity from Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, a company operating within a walled compound in Bamban.

On the evening of March 12th, police and military personnel convened nearby to strategize a raid on the location, situated just a brief walk from Guo’s office at the Municipal Hall.

Marvin de la Paz, an officer from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) present at the scene, informed the BBC that around midnight, informants signaled bus departures from the compound.

Suspecting a leak of their raid plans, De la Paz and his team rushed to the compound. En route, they encountered individuals fleeing in the opposite direction. Some officers detached from the convoy to intercept them. Upon arrival, they discovered one of the most extensive scam centers ever unearthed in the Philippines, encompassing 36 buildings across roughly 20 acres.

“We were astounded,” De la Paz recounted. “It was our first encounter with such a grand entrance to a scam compound… It almost made you feel insignificant within its grounds.”

Subsequent revelations indicated the compound’s construction on land previously owned by Guo and that, in her capacity as mayor, she had authorized Zun Yuan’s business permit. Her name also appeared on an electricity bill discovered at the site.

Alice Guo’s legal representatives did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

Zun Yuan ostensibly operated as an online gambling and entertainment enterprise, possessing a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) license — accreditation that formerly permitted such entities to function legally in the Philippines.

The relaxation of gambling regulations under former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017 spurred a surge in Pogo-related business activity. However, numerous scam syndicates also exploited Pogo licenses to conceal their illicit operations. PAOCC informed the BBC of evidence suggesting Zun Yuan was conducting “pig-butchering” scams from its compound.

“Pig-butchering” is a deceptive tactic where scammers cultivate trust with victims, posing as romantic partners or prospective business collaborators, before deceiving them into investing in fraudulent schemes.

During a tour of the compound led by PAOCC officers earlier in the month, the BBC discovered training manuals in a deserted employee dormitory detailing methods for scamming targets.

“I intend to establish my own financial empire,” a scripted character, portraying a female crypto expert at an international bank, says to her target before flattering him and prompting him to disclose his aspirations. She is instructed to place the target on hold while feigning to “cash in on a trade”—only to declare moments later a substantial profit. She then inquires if he is familiar with trading, positioning him for a subsequent money transfer.

This represents merely one of numerous methods employed by these compounds to defraud billions of dollars globally. Typically managed by Chinese organized crime networks throughout Southeast Asia, they are staffed by both willing participants and trafficked individuals coerced into scamming.

According to de la Paz, he and his colleagues found over 300 foreign nationals inside the Bamban compound, many forced to work against their will.

Punishments for workers who disobeyed or underperformed ranged from physical abuse to more mundane penalties. The BBC observed a notebook from the compound containing the phrase “I will meet my targets tomorrow” written hundreds of times in Chinese by a worker as a form of reprimand.

Enclosed by walls topped with barbed wire, the workers’ section of the compound constituted a self-contained environment, featuring a basketball court, supermarket, and dining establishments. Employees resided in rooms housing six individuals each, with a balcony equipped with restroom and shower facilities.

Meanwhile, their superiors lived in a separate, secured enclave, according to de la Paz, who showed the BBC one of the villas there.

A marble-finished living area featured a high-end entertainment system, security monitoring equipment, and elaborate hardwood furniture. A swimming pool was situated behind the residence, adjacent to a stairway descending into supposed escape tunnels, now filled with water.

By the time security forces raided the Bamban compound on March 12, 2024, some of the scam ringleaders had already evaded arrest.

However, the raid signaled a change in the political landscape.

In June 2022, coinciding with Guo’s inauguration as mayor, Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential term concluded.

His successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., promptly faced calls for a prohibition on Pogo operations. Numerous sectors of Philippine society voiced concerns regarding the associated criminality, despite the significant revenue generated. Their primary clientele was affluent Chinese individuals, raising anxieties about foreign influence as Marcos, unlike his predecessor, fostered closer ties with Washington over Beijing.

The Bamban raid exposed a darker dimension of the Philippines. The contrasting realities of Alice Guo—her politically ambitious “pink office” and the scam compound hinting at clandestine motives—converged and collapsed.

Guo remained relatively unknown in the Philippines until May of last year when summoned to appear before the Senate to address her connections to the scam compound.

Her public profile underwent a rapid transformation, turning her into an internet sensation. Her assertion to senators about growing up on a family farm was met with skepticism and derision from Filipinos, who deemed her appearance too refined for rural life. Her evasive and inconsistent statements, coupled with claims of amnesia regarding basic details of her early life, led social media users to dub her “my amnesia girl.”

Guo described a secluded upbringing as the daughter of a Chinese father and Filipino mother, yet could not recall the location of her family residence within the Philippines.

At one point, a senator implored her, “Mayor, please demonstrate a bit more candor than you have displayed thus far in answering some crucial questions.”

She informed skeptical senators about divesting her stake in the land prior to becoming mayor and characterized the issuance of a business permit to Zun Yuan as a routine administrative procedure.

Suspicion intensified during the hearings when a Singapore court convicted two of Guo’s former Chinese business associates in the Philippines of money laundering.

Subsequently, in July, Guo evaded travel restrictions and fled to Indonesia, despite the intense public scrutiny surrounding her case. She was rearrested and extradited back to the Philippines several months later.

July also marked a significant breakthrough for Philippine investigators. Guo’s fingerprints matched those on file for a Chinese girl named Guo Hua Ping, who arrived in the Philippines with her mother, also Chinese, in the early 2000s.

This discovery prompted a new line of inquiry within the Senate: the possibility of Guo functioning as a spy, exerting influence or gathering intelligence for the Chinese government. This notion rapidly gained traction among the public, dominating discourse surrounding the case.

Jaye Bekema, a senior aide to Senator Risa Hontiveros, who investigated potential links between scam syndicates and Chinese intelligence, stated that the spy theory warranted investigation.

“I believe it is important to clarify the definition of a spy,” Ms. Bekema stated, while emphasizing the absence of conclusive evidence establishing Guo as a spy.

“My inclination is to believe she did not initially intend to be a spy but was recruited [by the Chinese government] due to her criminal associations and her influence in local politics and governance.”

In several respects, Guo became ensnared by her own accomplishments. Her chosen career and the public attention she actively sought rendered her vulnerable to intense public examination when relations between China and the Philippines deteriorated under Marcos.

As political rhetoric intensified and tensions between the two nations escalated, particularly in the South China Sea, the young mayor found herself at the center of espionage allegations.

However, skepticism regarding the espionage claims exists. Teresita Ang See, a prominent figure in the Chinese-Filipino community, considers the Chinese government and Guo to be unlikely allies.

“What intelligence could she possibly gather in a location like Bamban? It’s situated in central Luzon, far from any sensitive facilities. Why would they utilize her? She maintains a high profile, openly displaying her lifestyle. Alice Guo would be the least suitable candidate for espionage,” Ang See asserts.

However, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, a leading figure in the questioning against Guo, argues that the situation is more nuanced.

“Transnational criminal entities operating regionally understand how to exploit… local talent, shall we say, to infiltrate our society, whether via politics or business,” he elucidates. Irrespective of the specifics, Guo’s case underscored the susceptibility of the Philippine state to corruption and co-option by criminal groups abusing Pogo licenses.

By mid-2024, President Marcos declared a comprehensive ban on all Pogos, citing widespread criminal exploitation.

Gatchalian attributes this policy shift, in part, to the investigation into Alice Guo.

“Her case generated a significant public outcry demanding a ban,” he informed the BBC. “This public sentiment directly contributed to the President’s official ban on Pogos.”

Since then, Philippine authorities have conducted numerous raids on scam hubs across the nation. However, given the deep entrenchment of these syndicates, concerns persist regarding information leaks within security forces and government bodies, potentially enabling criminals to evade capture, according to De la Paz.

Ms. Bekema expresses certainty that Pogo funds are still financing certain candidates in upcoming national elections, while Ang See indicates that active-duty police officers have been implicated in working for criminal syndicates.

In Bamban, anxieties regarding state infiltration appear distant from public consciousness.

Streets are decorated with vibrant campaign posters for the approaching municipal elections. The Municipal Hall has been repainted white, and the floral arrangements have been removed.

Guo is currently undergoing trial in six separate cases, potentially facing decades of imprisonment, and has been disqualified from holding public office in the future. She has entered a not guilty plea to human trafficking charges.

Yet, numerous residents still cherish the memory of their former mayor amidst controversy.

Fortunato, Miah Mejia’s father, a talkative 69-year-old, is among those currently vying for a Bamban councillor position. He also ran in 2022 as a member of Guo’s party, albeit unsuccessfully. He even featured in one of her campaign videos.

He states that Bamban residents took a chance by electing Guo but emphasizes her valuable connections to Chinese investors and her fulfillment of campaign promises to the town’s population.

He also dismisses the Senate’s evidence suggesting Guo’s non-Filipino origin.

“That’s what they’ve presented, but we remain unconvinced because her nationality is irrelevant to us,” he asserts. “The crucial factor is whether she provides assistance to us.”

Mr. Mejia firmly believes the Alice Guo he knew would never have been involved in human trafficking.

“Never, absolutely never would she engage in such activity,” he declares emphatically. “I know she possesses compassion. She fears God.”

Who is Alice Guo? Listen to the radio documentary on Assignment here

Additional reporting by Harry Atteshlis and Jay Behrouzi