MANILA — A Pasig court has convicted former Bamban mayor Alice Guo of qualified trafficking in persons over criminal activities uncovered in an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in her town.

Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas told reporters on Thursday that the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 167 found Guo and seven of her 15 co-accused guilty.

“The entire Baofu compound is also forfeited in favor of the government,” Torrevillas said.

According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Guo and three others were sentenced to life imprisonment and fined PHP 2 million. The RTC also ordered her immediate transfer from the Pasig City Jail to the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.

Guo and her co-accused did not appear in person during the promulgation and attended the proceedings via videoconference.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Philippine National Police and PAOCC after authorities raided in 2024 the Pogo hub operated by Zun Yuan Technology, located on a property owned by Baofu Land Development Inc., Guo’s leasing company. Investigators said Baofu rented out spaces to Zun Yuan.

The Department of Justice earlier charged Guo with violating a provision of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022, which penalizes those who “organize, provide financial support, or direct other persons to commit acts of trafficking.”

Also named in the DOJ complaint were former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center deputy director general and Zun Yuan representative Dennis Cunanan, along with executives and founders of three Pogo firms. Torrevillas said Cunanan and Chinese nationals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying remained at large.

The court convicted the following for “organizing trafficking” inside the Baofu compound:

• Alice Guo
• Jaimielyn Santos Cruz
• Rachelle Malonzo Carreon
• Walter Wong Rong

Convicted for acts of trafficking were:

• Wang Weili
• Wuli Dong
• Nong Ding Chang
• Lang Xu Po

Torrevillas said eight other co-accused were acquitted but did not disclose their names due to confidentiality.

The RTC also ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission to permanently revoke the registrations of Baofu Land and Development Inc., Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., and Zun Yuan Technology Inc.

The case was triggered by illegal activities linked to Pogo operations in Bamban, Tarlac, where a Chinese-run online scam hub forced hundreds of workers to run cyber scams under threat of torture. The facility was raided in March 2024 after a Vietnamese worker escaped and sought police help.

Authorities rescued more than 700 individuals of various nationalities from the complex, which included office buildings, luxury villas, and a large pool. Documents found on site allegedly showed that Guo was president of the company that owned the property.

Guo, 35, fled the country and was arrested by Indonesian police in September 2024. A Manila court later ruled she was a Chinese citizen and therefore ineligible to serve as mayor of Bamban.