Bamban Mayor Alice Guo denies being a Chinese spy, plans to seek reelection in 2025
Alice Leal Guo—the mayor of Bamban, Tarlac who has been in hot water due to her alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) companies in her town—stressed that she's not a Chinese spy and revealed she's planning to seek reelection in 2025.
“Ang gusto kong sabihin sa lahat ng publiko, hindi po ako spy. Ako po ay isang Pilipino,” she said in an interview with ABS-CBN News' Karen Davila on May 20.
Guo also dismissed claims that she’s a Chinese “asset,” as floated by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. "Mahal ko ang sarili kong bansa... Hindi po ako asset," she emphasized.
The politician noted that she holds a Filipino passport, which she said she got when she was 17 or 19. “Isa lang po ang passport ko. Filipino po ako.”
How did Guo's issues start?
Guo has been subject to scrutiny since she was allegedly linked to two POGOs in Bamban: Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, which was raided in February 2023 and Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, which was raided in March this year.
During the Senate committee hearing last May 7, Hontiveros pressed Guo about her background to confirm her nationality—especially since she currently holds a high post in the local government. The senator also noted that according to Bamban residents, the mayor came out of nowhere during the 2022 elections. Her lack of a birth certificate and school records also raised suspicions.
When senators were asking Guo questions, she repeatedly displayed a supposed lack of knowledge, responding with, "Hindi ko po alam" and "Hindi ko na po maalala." Social media users poked fun at her answers and turned them into memes.
The Department of Interior and Local Government recommended the preventive suspension of Guo following its task force's “troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications.”
The Office of the Solicitor General also launched an investigation to determine whether “there is good reason to believe that the subject is unlawfully holding or exercising public office.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. questioned how Guo was raised in the country and emphasized the need for her to undergo a probe. Marcos vowed to make monitoring procedures stricter to avoid cases of foreigners posing as Filipinos.
Parentage
During the ABS-CBN News interview, Davila asked Guo why she wasn’t able to answer the questions during the Senate hearing, to which Guo said it was difficult to recall her childhood.
“Humihingi ako ng paumanhin na hindi ako nakasagot nang maayos,” she said, “kasi masyadong masakit sa akin.”
Guo’s father, she said, told her that her biological mother is their family maid.
“Nalaman ko po mismo sa tatay ko na ang nanay ko ay dati naming kasambahay,” Guo said, adding that her mother left them when she was young.
When asked about her educational background, she said she grew up in her father’s farm and that she was homeschooled.
“Hindi po ako pumasok ng formal school. Nagtatrabaho ako habang may tutorial na dumarating sa farm every day,” she said, adding that farm workers also served as her teachers.
No ties to POGOs
Guo also stressed that she has no ties to POGOs in her hometown, vowing to ban them as long as she’s mayor.
“I will no longer allow any POGO operation in my town," she said. "I will never tolerate, at ayaw ko na rin na magkaroon ng any POGO operation sa sarili kong bayan."
Guo’s name was linked to POGOs after Sen. Win Gatchalian questioned why Guo was supposedly unaware of illegal activities in her town.
Last March, authorities raided the Zun Yuan Technology Inc. compound and rescued about 875 individuals, including over 400 Chinese nationals.
Guo said she had allowed POGOs in Bamban because of the economic opportunities and because they had licenses from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
She also denied applying for a permit and franchise for one POGO in her town named Hong Sheng Gaming Technologies.
"Wala naman pong record na magsasabi na nag-apply ako," Guo said. While documents showed her name as its applicant, she insisted that she only introduced the company to the town's former mayor for the permit.
Chopper owner in 2019
Davila also showed Guo a report claiming she owns a P33 million luxury car and that she even won in a car show in Concepcion in December 2023.
Guo denied owning the vehicle, saying it was a friend’s car which they merely included in the competition.
“‘Yung mayor po ng Concepcion kaibigan ko, 'yung pinaka-event coordinator po nila, kaibigan ko. Nag-entry lang po kami, hindi ko po siya sasakyan,” she said. “Hiniram namin sa kaibigan ko, i-entry para lang sa show, para maging mas masaya lang ang ibang mga kababayan namin.”
"I don't own a McLaren," she stressed. "In fact, nung dumating 'yung kotse, nakatowing pa na sasakyan, nakatowing na vehicle ang dumating kasi hiniram po namin."
When asked if she owns a chopper, Guo said yes but later noted she only got it in 2019, supposedly for an “air taxi” business. She, however, decided to sell it this year since her business idea didn’t materialize.
“Binenta ko na siya kasi hindi na rin po nagagamit,” she said. “Hindi lumabas 'yung ine-expect ko na magiging possible na operation.”
Guo underscored that she's not that "powerful."
"Ako ay isang simpleng mamamayan, ako ay isang second class municipality lang," she said.
Won’t resign as mayor, to seek reelection
Guo said she won’t resign from her post as mayor amid the controversy she’s facing. In fact, she’s seeking reelection in the 2025 polls. “I will continue serving my constituents.”
She noted that as a neophyte politician, she wants to serve the public as part of her “calling.”
“Sana po ‘yung mga malalaking politicians, kung mayroon silang mga issues, kung mayroon silang mga misunderstandings, ‘wag na po nila akong idamay,” she said.
Guo was elected mayor in 2022 as an independent candidate.
Her Certificate of Candidacy, earlier sent by the Commission on Elections to the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, showed that her full name was indicated as "Alice Leal Guo,” "35 years old,” with residence/address in "Bamban, Tarlac,” where she is also a registered voter.
Guo certified clauses like "I am a Filipino citizen,” "I am not a permanent resident of, or an immigrant to, a foreign country,” and "I executed a sworn renunciation of foreign citizenship (if applicable).”
According to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures, Guo spent over P134,000 for her campaign. She didn’t declare contributions from a political party or other sources.
Official statement
Guo released a statement to again deny the allegations against her on her Facebook page on May 20.
"Sa aking mga kababayan sa munisipyo ng Bamban na nagmamahal at sumusuporta sa akin, at sa mga politiko na maagang humusga sa aking pagkatao ay alay ko po itong aking opisyal na pahayag para sa ikakapayapa ng kanilang isipan," she wrote, "at upang tiyakin sa kanila at sa buong sambayanan na ako po, si Alice L. Guo na nahalal na alkalde ng bayan ng Bamban, lalawigan ng Tarlac ay isang tunay na Pilipino sa puso, sa isip, at sa gawa."
She dismissed claims anew that she’s a spy and reiterated her parentage.
Guo noted that her family background prompted her to enter politics, making her choose not to get married.
“Ang hindi pagiging perpekto ng aking pagkakakilanlan ang siya ring dahilan kung bakit sa edad na 38 ay pinili ko na hindi na mag-asawa, at sa halip ay itinuon na lamang ang aking panahon at ang mga biyayang ipinagkaloob ng Diyos sa pagtulong sa kapwa, higit sa lahat ay sa aking mga kababayan sa Bamban na nagtiwala sa aking katapatan at kakayahan bilang ordinaryo at simple nilang lingkod-bayan,” she said.
