Senate moves to declare ex-Bamban mayor Alice Guo in contempt over POGO ties

The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, and the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, moved on July 9, 2024 to cite former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo in contempt after she failed to appear at multiple scheduled hearings into her alleged ties to offshore gaming operator hubs in Bamban. The hubs in question, operated by Zun Yuan Technology Inc. and Hong Sheng Gaming Technology Inc., had been raided in March 2024 by the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Immigration. Investigators reported evidence of human trafficking, illegal detention, scam call operations, and financial laundering. Parallel proceedings raised questions about Guo's citizenship and identity, including allegations that she had used multiple identifying documents. She was dismissed as mayor by the Ombudsman in August 2024 and subsequently arrested in Indonesia in September 2024 after a brief period as a fugitive. Criminal complaints relating to qualified human trafficking and other offences were filed in various jurisdictions and remain in preliminary investigation and trial as of this writing.