đź“·Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has filed graft charges against Bamban City Mayor Alice Guo due to her reported involvement with a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in her locality.
According to DILG Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas, these charges were submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman on May 24.
The allegations stemmed from the issuance of a permit to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., despite the company’s failure to meet requirements and its possession of an expired license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).
In a report by GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend,” Llamas emphasized that Mayor Guo should have revoked Hongsheng’s business permit. The DILG believes that this case could lead to the preventive suspension of Guo, whose nationality has been questioned in connection with POGO operations.
Earlier, authorities conducted a raid on a 10-hectare area operated by Zun Yuan Technology Inc., during which they discovered several devices allegedly linked to POGO activities. Over 600 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued during this operation.
Interestingly, the same complex had been raided in 2023 when it was operated by Hongsheng Technology Inc., which is now being associated with Mayor Guo.
She had applied for a letter of no objection for the complex’s license to operate.
Additionally, Guo was identified as the incorporator of Baofu Land Development Inc., the company that owns the land where the complex stands. This sprawling property includes over 36 buildings, a swimming pool, and luxury cars.
While GMA Integrated News is still attempting to obtain a comment from Guo, she had previously denied any involvement in the POGO hub’s operations.
Although she admitted to being a Baofu incorporator, she insisted that she had divested from the company before running for mayor in 2022.
Last month, the DILG recommended Guo’s preventive suspension following the establishment of a task force on April 5 to investigate her alleged links to illegal POGO activities in Bamban.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also mentioned that Guo had been under investigation for some time, as he personally knew most of the politicians in Tarlac, but none of them were familiar with the mayor of Bamban. ( ZIA LUNA)
