Alice Guo, the ousted mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, has been transferred from Camp Crame to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory according to an order issued by the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC). Guo is charged in a qualified trafficking case, and the court’s ruling represents a major turning point in the continuous legal processes.
Under a four-page directive from RTC Branch 167, the court ordered Guo to be transferred from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center to the local jail. The court also decided Guo had probable cause to be taken for trial on the claimed charges. Significantly, Guo is not entitled to post bond since Philippine law treats the allegations she faces as non-bailable.
Nakapag-post bail na sa halagang P540,000 ang kampo ni Bamban ex-mayor Alice Guo sa dalawang kaso ng graft sa Valenzuela RTC.
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) September 20, 2024
Idineretso si Guo sa Camp Crame Detention facility para sa medical procedure bago ilipat sa Pasig BJMP para sa kasong qualified trafficking. | via… pic.twitter.com/kdxAi6cbrk
Along with several others, Guo has been prosecuted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, changed by later legislation including the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022. These regulations aim at those engaged in human trafficking, a major offense with heavy fines. Among Guo’s co-accused is Huang Zhiyang, a major player in unlawful Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission. Furthermore, the accused in the matter is Zhang Ruijin.
Walter Wong Long, another accused, has been sent from the Tarlac Provincial Jail to the Pasig City Jail Dormitory per court order. Long, a national of Malaysia, was arrested earlier this year at a POGO center in Bamban, therefore linking the case to the illicit POGO activities in the nation.
Ang mga maiinit na balita sa #Agenda:
— Bilyonaryo News Channel (@BilyonaryoNews) September 20, 2024
• Korte sa Pasig naglabas ng arrest warrant laban kay Alice Guo para sa kasong qualified trafficking na isang non-bailable offense. Ang dating alkalde, pinalilipat din sa Pasig City jail
• Wanted posters ng dating tagapagsalita ni former… pic.twitter.com/1re6pJ5Ngy
Arrest Notes and Continual Research
Apart from Guo and Long, the Pasig RTC has issued arrest warrants for other people linked to the case: Huang Zhiyang, Zhang Ruijin, Lin Baoying, and former Deputy Director General Dennis Cunanan of the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC). These people are still at large, which forces authorities to step up their efforts toward capture.
The remaining co-accused have been invited to turn themselves up willingly by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispen Remulla. Strongly warning against hesitancy or attempts to avoid justice, he said that the law will surely catch up with them.
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The response of legal counsel and jurisdictional issues
Responding to the court’s ruling, Atty. Stephen David, Alice Guo’s legal counsel, said that jurisdictional concerns between courts will have to be addressed. David noted that the courts involved are co-equal and must settle the issue by “judicial courtesy,” instead of depending on the arguments of legal counsel. He underlined that courts would decide whatever choice about Guo’s custody facility.
David also expressed worries about Guo’s safety, pointing out that her “high-risk situation” made it more logical for her to stay at Camp Crame, where high-risk individuals deprived of liberty (PDLs) are typically housed. Given her present situation and the type of allegations she faces, he said the PNP Custodial Center would be a safer place for her.
More general inquiries and legal challenges
Alice Guo is now dealing with other legal problems outside the charges connected to trafficking. She has also been linked in a graft case before a Valenzuela court and the Department of Justice has reported money laundering allegations against her. The Senate and the House of Representatives also are looking at Guo, especially about her claimed ties to the POGO center in Bamban, which was raided earlier this year. As part of these probes, questions about her citizenship have also drawn close examination.
Guo’s case stays a focal focus of continuous attempts to eradicate unlawful POGO operations and human trafficking in the Philippines while the court processes continue. Her relocation to the Pasig City Jail signals a fresh chapter in the matter, with more developments anticipated while the trial runs on.
The case has attracted a lot of interest because of the participation of well-known people as well as the wider consequences for criminal activity linked to POGOs throughout the nation. The government’s increased initiatives to hunt individuals engaged indicate a strong will to solve human trafficking and illegal gambling activities, which have lately grown to be a major issue.
