PAOCC Set To File Criminal Raps VS Bamban Mayor Alice Guo
ALICE GUO – The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) will file criminal complaints against Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
With significant evidence tying her to an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) is set to file criminal complaints against suspended mayor Alice Guo and others.
According to Philstar, the charges will be submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, outlining Guo’s alleged involvement with Zun Yuan Technology Inc., a POGO hub located at the Baofu compound behind the Bamban municipal hall. This location was raided in March due to reports of human trafficking and other illegal activities.
When asked about the specific charges, PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio stated, “The cases must be related to the search warrant. The search warrant was for human trafficking.” At a news forum in Quezon City, Casio mentioned that the complaint would also include the POGO firm’s incorporators and several other unnamed individuals.
To formalize the accusations against Guo and others—which Casio defined as serious violations for which there is no possibility of bail—officials from the PAOCC and other government agencies are expected to convene on Tuesday.
Guo and two other local government officials were previously placed under a six-month preventative suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman, which was also looking into their possible involvement in the illicit operations at the POGO center.
Casio stressed that Guo’s connection to Zun Yuan is undeniable, supported by documents linking her to the POGO hub, including an officially authenticated document with her signature.
“The liability of the current mayor of Bamban is on paper. It’s not a matter of conjecture anymore,” Casio said.
In a related development, the Pampanga Provincial Board held a committee hearing on the recent raid of a POGO compound in Porac town.
Friday’s hearing, led by Third District Board Member Ananias Canlas and attended by Porac Mayor Jaime Capil and other town officials, aimed to investigate how the POGO facility operated despite existing government procedures and regulations.
The report states that the Board evaluated the local government unit’s actions to determine if the facility complied with government regulations.
Canlas and Vice Governor Lilia Pineda of Pampanga both expressed sorrow over the incident, pointing out that it had severely damaged the prestige of the province and local authorities.
Capil said at the hearing that the local government had done its part, stressing that he had been strict in granting permits to companies that were on the local fire bureau’s “negative list.”
He told the Board that on May 3, a facility inspection had taken place, but they were only permitted to enter the holding area and were not permitted to enter the main enclosure.
On the subject, the Provincial Board intends to hold further hearings.