Controversial Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Leal Guo faces serious allegations as the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has frozen her assets and properties, including a P60 million Robinsons helicopter, amid suspicions of espionage and money laundering.

Guo, along with her father, is suspected of being a Chinese asset, raising alarms about national security threats linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

The AMLC’s preliminary investigation revealed that Guo maintains control over Baofu Land Development, a key player in illicit POGO operations, despite her claims of selling her stake.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, exposed the inflow of billions of pesos into Guo’s accounts from 2019 to 2022, a discrepancy given her businesses’ modest reported income.

“We’re talking about billions in a span of three years. Billions entered Alice Guo’s accounts, but if you look at the corporations, both the income statements and the statements of cash flow, it was only just in hundreds of thousands,” Gatchalian remarked.

The investigation connected Guo to Hongsheng Gaming Technology and Zun Yuan Technology, both implicated in illegal activities and potentially linked to the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a Chinese organization known for its influence operations.

Previous reports indicate that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its United Front are actively engaged in various influence operations abroad, which may include activities related to offshore gaming and gambling.

The United Front Work Department is known for its efforts to shape international public opinion, monitor Chinese diaspora communities, and exert influence on foreign political figures and institutions​.

While there is no direct evidence linking the UFWD specifically to offshore gaming operations, the department’s broad mandate includes financial influence and illicit activities that could encompass money laundering and other economic manipulations.

For instance, the UFWD has been documented to engage in various extralegal operations, such as funding or co-opting interest groups to promote Chinese government agendas and suppress dissent​.

“The handwriting on the wall appears to connect the dots,” stated the AMLC, emphasizing Guo’s covert control over Baofu and its criminal undertakings.

Guo allegedly attempted to mask her ownership by transferring shares to Jack L. Uy and Bernard Chua in transactions declared fake by the Tarlac City Court.

Official documents, however, continued to list Guo as Baofu’s owner in 2021 and 2022.

Further scrutiny uncovered Guo’s lucrative land deal in 2019, where she bought eight hectares of agricultural land for P11.882 million and sold it to Zhiyang Huang, a fellow Baofu shareholder, for P220 million just two months later. This transaction contradicts her Senate testimony that the land was exchanged for shares worth only P2.5 million.

The AMLC noted Guo’s extravagant spending spree post-sale, acquiring high-end SUVs and a helicopter. These assets, along with multiple bank accounts and land titles, were seized by the AMLC.

The AMLC’s findings pointed to significant funds originating from China, fueling suspicions of money laundering and covert financial operations.

“The transactions were really suspicious and there is a high probability of money laundering. That’s why they were frozen immediately,” Gatchalian added.

The Senate committee on women and children has been probing Guo’s alleged ties to POGO activities and broader implications of her potential espionage connections. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed Guo’s fingerprints matched those of Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national who entered the Philippines in 1993, deepening concerns about her identity and affiliations.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Guo after she failed to appear at a Senate hearing regarding the raided POGO hub in Bamban. Guo’s legal team has petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate the subpoena, claiming violations of her constitutional rights.