Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who is under a Senate arrest order, failed to appear before the Department of Justice (DOJ) to personally address the human trafficking complaint against her. Guo was represented by her legal counsel.
Guo and her 13 co-respondents were scheduled to submit their counter-affidavits regarding the complaint linked to the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban. Over 800 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued during the raid.
The deadline for filing the counter-affidavit was rescheduled after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) submitted a supplemental complaint affidavit. PAOCC spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio stated that a Filipino respondent was added to the complaint
“The respondent is involved in the management of Zun Yuan Technology, Hongsheng, and Baofu Land Development,” Casio explained.
Casio also mentioned the inclusion of four new witnesses-complainants, who will testify about the scamming activities and restrictive conditions at the raided POGO hub.
“They will prove that they had no freedom to leave the compound. They were practically prisoners, only allowed one day per month outside, with deductions from their salaries,” Casio said.
Justice Undersecretary and Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Chairperson Nicky Ty announced that the respondents’ deadline to file their counter-affidavits has been moved to August 6, with no further extensions.
Guo has denied any involvement in illegal POGO activities and maintains her Filipino citizenship. Last week, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian requested the Bureau of Immigration to verify if Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, had left the country, suspecting she might use her Chinese passport to flee.
Despite these concerns, Guo’s camp asserts that she remains in the Philippines as the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms continues its efforts to locate and arrest her.