Investigation is ongoing into the identity of Alice Guo and her links to a compound housing human trafficking victims and offshore gaming operations
lice Guo was a mayor like no other, say her supporters. At Christmas, she would hand out gifts of ham and spaghetti to local people. When school term started, she would give notebooks and bags to children. She wasn’t from a prominent political family, as is often the case in theOn social media, Guo seemed fun and friendly.
Yet Guo is nowhere to be seen. Instead she is at the centre of a scandal that has gripped the Philippines. She is now suspended from her role and being hunted by the authorities while questions about her true identity baffle and captivate the country.It began in March, when officials from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission raided a sprawling office compound that stands 100 metres from the municipality building, where the mayor’s office is based.
As senators have probed the issue, other questions emerged. There was confusion over Guo’s birth certificate, which was not registered until she was 17 and displayed contradictory information to that of her siblings. A Filipina called Amelia Leal was listed as her mother but appeared not to exist, according to birth records. Her father was listed as Filipino, though Guo stated he was Chinese.
Ruben Balagtas, who lives near Guo’s pig farm, said the senate hearings were painful to watch. “I know she was kind because as mayor she helped a lot of people,” said the local president of the Federation of Senior Citizens’ Association. On the day of the raid, Dylan contacted embassy staff, who had tracked his location, to tell them he had been beaten as punishment for not meeting his targets and that he needed to escape urgently. “I sent a photo to the embassy – I told him I already got tortured,” he said. Officials arrived the same night.
In the run-up to her election in 2022, Guo flew to a campaign event in her helicopter while crowds were treated to a huge firework display and DJ set.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Police say Alice Springs machete robberies may be linkedPolice are investigating potential links between four robberies in which some residents were allegedly threatened in their homes with weapons.
Read more »
‘Too far gone’: Grim prediction for Alice Springs crime disasterA prominent Alice Springs local has delivered a grim prediction about the future of the central Australian city as the crime crisis showed little sign of abating.
Read more »
On the pulse: Alice Zaslavsky’s spicy pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut dal recipeThe cookbook author shares a comfort dish of fast-cooking red split lentils, winter veg and warming spices, best topped with a dollop of yoghurt
Read more »
Recent violence in Alice Springs not due to cultural 'payback', Indigenous leaders, academics sayAmid the violence in Alice Springs that's contributed to two curfews there have been conversations around the role of 'payback'. But some Indigenous leaders say payback has nothing to do with the recent fighting.
Read more »
Alice Springs residents join domestic violence rallies across Australia in calls for better fundingPeople dressed in purple marched silently through the heart of Alice Springs as the Northern Territory grappled with the highest rates of domestic violence in the country.
Read more »
Indigenous Alice Springs comic book artists Stick Mob put final touches on inspirational sequelsFrom high school sketchers to publishing success stories, these Indigenous graphic artists are preparing to launch the second series of their comic books, and say the whole experience feels 'surreal'.
Read more »