MANILA — Former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Leal Guo has been sentenced to reclusion perpetua after a Pasig City court found her guilty of qualified human trafficking, marking one of the strongest judicial actions yet against personalities linked to the controversial POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operation) hub operations in Central Luzon.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 167 handed down the conviction on Thursday, according to information relayed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) to reporters present during the promulgation. Guo, who has been detained since her arrest, attended the session remotely from the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory.
Three of her co-accused — Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, Jaimielyn Cruz, and Walter Wong Rong — were likewise sentenced to reclusion perpetua.
Under the Revised Penal Code, reclusion perpetua carries 20 to 40 years of imprisonment, along with accessory penalties including perpetual special disqualification from holding public office. Those serving the sentence may be considered for pardon only after completing at least 30 years.
The court also ordered each of the accused to pay ₱2 million per case, aside from additional damages awarded to the victims.
Authorities added that the Baofu compound, identified in the charges as the site of trafficking activities, has been forfeited in favor of the government.
Guo and her co-accused were prosecuted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and its subsequent amendments. The case stemmed from the June 2024 raid on a POGO hub in Bamban, where more than 800 Filipino and foreign workers were rescued.
Guo pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in September 2024, with her lawyers insisting she had no involvement in the trafficking scheme./PN
