The Philippine government has intensified its crackdown on underground gambling and transnational financial crimes. The Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Capas region of Tarlac province has formally charged the former mayor of Banban town, Alice Guo (also known as Guo Hua Ping), with up to 62 counts of money laundering, sending shockwaves through political and business circles. These charges are closely related to the illegal POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) operations she oversaw during her tenure.
Gilbert Cruz, the Executive Director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), confirmed that the National Prosecution Service of the DOJ submitted over 60 boxes of evidence to the court, transported by two trucks, demonstrating the massive scale of the case.
The charges against Alice Guo include:
26 counts related to illegal fund handling,
5 counts of assisting in the transfer and use of illegal proceeds,
31 counts of conspiring to launder money, involving 30 defendants, including Angelito Guo, Amelia Leal, and Boss Wang, among others.
As early as January this year, the prosecution team recommended charging Guo as the "mastermind," focusing the investigation on her presidency at Baofudi Real Estate. This real estate project had been repeatedly investigated for allegedly operating fraudulent online gambling platforms.
The investigation revealed that Alice Guo, through her companies QJJ Farm and QSeed Genetics, paid for the electricity and operational expenses of multiple enterprises such as Baofu, Hongsheng, and Zunyuan, allegedly "laundering" illegal funds and injecting them into the normal commercial circulation system. Authorities pointed out that these companies cover for each other, forming a typical "corporate nesting doll" money laundering structure.
Alice Guo was dismissed from public office by the supervisory authority for issuing business licenses to gambling enterprises like Zunyuan Technology without timely revoking the licenses of entities suspected of illegal operations. Notably, the Zunyuan Park was forcibly closed in March 2024 due to human trafficking, illegal detention, and investment fraud, having been under investigation since February 2023 for a fake cryptocurrency project.
Despite Guo's claims of exiting Baofudi Real Estate through a "share transfer," the DOJ deemed it a "paper operation," with her still controlling the business operations.
In addition to these 62 counts of money laundering, she also faces several additional charges, including:
Human trafficking
Illegal property confiscation
Corruption
Forgery
Obstruction of justice, etc.
She is expected to appear in court on May 28 at the Pasig District Court, with four new charges also entering the preliminary investigation stage at the DOJ.
The PAOCC stated that this case highlights the government's firm stance on combating transnational financial crimes and cleaning up the gambling industry, calling for continuous coordination among law enforcement and judicial institutions to strengthen the system's ability to combat money laundering and fraud.
This case not only reveals the deep governance risks within the Philippine POGO industry but also reflects the complex reality of some local politicians possibly intertwined with underground financial networks. As further investigations deepen, more hidden transaction chains may be uncovered.
