Alice Guo and Over 30 Others Face Money Laundering Charges
ALICE GUO – The former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, is facing 87 charges of money laundering involving approximately PHP 7 billion over nearly five years. The lawsuit was filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday and includes her sister Shiela, Lucky South 99 representative Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, and over 30 other individuals and businesses.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) allege that Guo was involved in using multiple entities to launder funds. These transactions included PHP 6.2 billion used to build 32 buildings on an 8-hectare property owned by Baofu Land Development, which housed the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) Zun Yuan Technology Inc. from 2020 to 2024. Zun Yuan was shut down in March after a raid by PAOCC.
AMLC Executive Director Matthew David stressed the agency’s dedication to preventing the financial system from being exploited for criminal activities. Investigator Adrian Arpon noted that Guo is the main figure in the laundering scheme, using various entities to obscure the funds’ origins. Despite her attempts to transfer PHP 2.5 million worth of shares in Baofu to Jack Uy in 2021, the transfer was not completed, and Guo retained control of the shares.
The complaint also highlights that Baofu’s compound, which resembles a prison with restricted access, was used to control those inside and manage illicit activities. Guo allegedly moved funds from her Banco De Oro accounts to family-owned companies QJJ Farm and Qseed Genetics, which paid the compound’s electricity bills totaling PHP 62.4 million between July 2020 and January 2024.
Shiela Guo faces deportation due to her confirmed Chinese citizenship. Alice Guo, who fled the country in July, is also facing human trafficking charges related to the Zun Yuan raid and a “quo warranto” case seeking her removal as Bamban mayor. Other respondents include several individuals and businesses linked to the case.