Ombudsman suspends Bamban mayor Alice Guo after DILG complaint
The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo following the complaint filed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) over her alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).
On Monday, June 3, the Ombudsman imposed a preventive suspension on Guo and two other Bamban municipal officials, Ewin Ocampo and Adenn Sigua for charges of graft from the complaint of the DILG.
In a report by GMA News, DILG Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas said the Bamban officials granted a permit to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., despite failing to fulfill the requirements of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and holding an expired license.
Detailing the incident, the agency said that before she ran for the mayoral post, Guo filed a letter of no objection for Hongsheng’s license to operate. They added that the Bamban mayor was the incorporator of the Baofu Land Development Inc. which owns the land of Hongsheng building.
According to Llamas, Guo should have revoked Hongsheng's business permit.
The three Bamban officials will be suspended without pay during the investigation but will not exceed six months.
The preventive suspension prevents the accused from “using his position and the powers prerogative of his office to influence potential witnesses or to tamper with records” that may be vital during the investigation.
Guo is currently being investigated due to her alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) companies in her town.
Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated was raided in February 2023 and Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated in March this year. They're accused of trafficking and scams.
She was questioned as to why she was supposedly unaware of such alleged illegal activities.
In the Senate hearing, she was asked about her background to confirm her nationality, especially since she currently holds a high post in the local government.
Senators speculated that Guo could be a Chinese spy infiltrating the Philippine government, especially since Bamban residents claimed that “she came out of nowhere” during the 2022 elections.
Guo has since maintained that she's Filipino and has denied having ties to POGOs in Bamban and being a spy.
She also said that she was raised on the farm of her father, was homeschooled and that her maid of a mother left her.