『Philippines,Pilipinas』 9 human trafficking, scams, POGOs, Alice Guo(郭华萍) 2024.9.24-10.11

Elusive POGO kingpin falls in Laguna
October 11, 2024

MANILA – Philippine authorities nabbed a Chinese national tagged as the “godfather” of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), in Laguna province Thursday night.

In a television interview Friday, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, said the suspect, Lyu Dong, was arrested by joint PAOCC and Bureau of Immigration personnel inside a subdivision in Biñan City at about 8 p.m.

The suspect has a string of aliases, among them Boss Boga, Xiaolong, A Pao, and Hao Hao, which means boss of all bosses.

Cruz said the foreigner was placed under intense surveillance before he was apprehended in a gathering along with several Chinese companions – all said to be prominent POGO leaders – and bodyguards.

“Eto yung puwede nating sabihing kingpin ng mga POGO dito sa atin kasi 2016 pa dumating dito yan. Simula noon nagtayo na siya ng mga POGO diyan sa may Region 3, Region 1, sa Region 4 at dito sa Metro Manila. Marami siyang itinayong mga POGO at tinitingnan natin yung involvement niya (We can say that he is the kingpin of the POGOs here because he has been in the country since 2016. Since then, he built POGOs in Regions 3 [Central Luzon], 1 [Ilocos Region], 4 [Calabarzon] and Metro Manila. He has established many POGOs and we are looking into his involvement in these operations),” he said.

Cruz said the Chinese national’s name surfaced during the investigation into Lucky South 99, the POGO hub raided in Pampanga in June for alleged involvement in human trafficking and scams.

“We filed charges against Lyu Dong because when we applied for a search warrant, he was among those named in the Porac POGO, Lucky South 99. We have been hunting him for almost eight months,” he added.

Cruz said the elusive suspect is also operating a POGO in Biñan City.

“Kapag hinahanap nga namin ito, gumagamit din ito ng chopper. Nahihirapan kaming sundan itong si Lyu Dong (When we search for him, he uses a chopper. We found it difficult to trace Lyu Dong),” he added.

Cruz said also arrested during the operations were 13 foreign nationals and nine Filipinos believed to be linked to the Porac POGO.

He said Lyu Dong’s foreign companions would be asked to provide documentation.

They will be subjected to investigation by the BI if they fail to provide proof that they are legally staying in the Philippines.

Cruz said they are also checking the foreigner’s link to dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Cruz said he already formally informed the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) of the arrest of Lyu Dong after an eight-month surveillance.

He said Lyu Dong’s passport shows he was born on July 4, 1991.

“At the relatively young age of 24, Xunhan made his way to the Philippines, where he quickly established a network of scam operations, commonly referred to as scam farms,” the PAOCC said in its report to the OES.

Cruz said these enterprises have proliferated across five regions of the country, “indicating not only a sophisticated operational strategy but also a marked ability to evade law enforcement.”

“Since 2016, Xunhan has systematically built a network of scam farms, often employing legal businesses as fronts to obscure his illicit activities. While some of these operations have been raided and shut down, many continue to thrive, complicating law enforcement efforts to dismantle his extensive criminal enterprise,” he added.

Cruz said Xunhan’s influence also extended throughout numerous districts in Metro Manila, with known locations in Pasay, Parañaque, Manila, Makati, and Mandaluyong.

“The sheer breadth of Xunhan’s operations illustrates not just individual criminal activities but rather a systemic issue that requires robust intervention,” the PAOCC said. (PNA)

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拉古纳省 POGO 头目落网

马尼拉——菲律宾当局周四晚在拉古纳省逮捕了一名被称为菲律宾离岸博彩运营商（POGO）“教父”的中国公民。

总统反有组织犯罪委员会执行主任、副部长吉尔伯特·克鲁兹在周五的电视采访中表示，嫌疑人吕栋于晚上 8 点左右被总统反有组织犯罪委员会和移民局人员在比尼安市的一个小区内逮捕。

该嫌疑人有一连串的化名，其中包括“波嘎老大”、“小龙”、“阿炮”以及“浩浩”，“浩浩”的意思是“老大中的老大”。

克鲁兹表示，这名外国人在与几名中国同伴（据说都是著名的POGO领导人）和保镖聚会时被捕之前，一直受到严密监视。

克鲁兹表示，这名中国公民的名字是在对 Lucky South 99 进行调查时出现的。Lucky South 99 是菲律宾邦板牙省的一家网络博彩公司，该公司于 6 月份因涉嫌参与人口贩卖和诈骗而遭到突击搜查。

“我们对吕栋提出指控，因为当我们申请搜查令时，他是波拉克 POGO Lucky South 99 的成员之一。我们已经追捕他近八个月了，”他补充道。

克鲁兹表示，这名行踪不明的嫌疑人还在比尼安市经营一家网络博彩公司。

“Kapag hinahanap nga namin ito，gumagamit din ito ng chopper。Nahihirapan kaming sundan itong si Lyu Dong（当我们寻找他时，他使用直升机。我们发现很难追踪），”他补充道。

克鲁兹表示，行动中还逮捕了 13 名外国人和 9 名菲律宾人，据信他们与波拉克 POGO 有关联。

克鲁兹表示，他们还在调查这名外国人与被解职的塔拉克省市长艾丽斯·郭（Alice Guo）的联系。

克鲁兹表示，经过八个月的监视后，他已正式通知执行秘书办公室（OES）逮捕吕栋的消息。

他说，吕栋的护照显示他出生日期为1991年7月4日。

PAOCC 在提交给 OES 的报告中表示：“吕栋 在 24 岁时就来到了菲律宾，并在那里迅速建立了一个诈骗行动网络，通常被称为诈骗农场。”

克鲁兹表示，这些企业已遍布全国五个地区，“不仅表明其运营策略复杂，而且逃避执法的能力也很强”。

“自 2016 年以来，吕栋 系统地建立了一个诈骗农场网络，经常利用合法企业作为幌子来掩盖他的非法活动。虽然其中一些农场已被突击检查和关闭，但许多农场仍在蓬勃发展，这给执法部门摧毁其庞大的犯罪集团带来了困难，”他补充道。

克鲁兹表示，吕栋 的影响力还遍及马尼拉大都会的多个地区，已知的据点包括帕赛市、帕拉纳克市、马尼拉市、马卡蒂市和曼达卢永市。

“吕栋集团的业务范围之广不仅表明了个人犯罪活动，而且表明了需要强力干预的系统性问题，”PAOCC 表示。（PNA 报道）

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PAOCC arrests Chinese Pogo ‘boss of the boss’

Authorities have arrested Chinese national Lin Xunhan, the suspected “boss of the boss” of a network of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) involved in human trafficking, online scams and other crimes, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime (PAOCC) said on Friday.

Lin, who is also known as Lyu Dong, was arrested Thursday night at the Las Villas de Manila subdivision in Biñan, Laguna, by a combined force of the PAOCC, Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who were armed with an immigration “mission order.”

According to PAOCC, the passport Lin was carrying when he was arrested indicated that he was born on July 4, 1991. His birthdate in his other passport in the name of Lyu Dong was Aug. 14, 1989.

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Lin “was higher” than dismissed Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, who is considered as “merely a front” of the criminal organization behind Pogos.

“We have not unmasked who is the real godfather of all Pogos in the Philippines,” he said during a press briefing on Friday.

Lin was able to escape from the authorities who raided Lucky South. His arrest was a “significant development” because he could shed light on the illegal Pogo operations in the country, being one of its “pioneers” in the Philippines, Casio said.

He said that in his position, Lin could lead investigators to “people behind these Pogos and if possible, he could tell us who are the people who helped them expand, whether officials or private individuals.”

Casio said authorities were also on the hunt for alleged Pogo bosses Huang Zhiyang, Duanren Wu and Zhang Jie who are abroad.

“We would do our best to capture these people because if we do, then we would be able to basically dismantle the infrastructure of the illegal offshore gaming operations,” he said.

According to PAOCC, the arrest of Lin revealed “the vulnerabilities within the current system that scammers like him exploit.”

“Moving forward, it’s imperative that authorities not only adapt their existing strategies but also develop comprehensive measures tailored to detect, dismantle, and prevent the proliferation of similar scams,” it said.

“Failure to do so will only embolden these criminal enterprises, allowing them to flourish in the shadows of regulatory gaps,” it added. “As we assess the situation, it becomes increasingly clear that a unified and strategic approach is essential in the ongoing fight against organized crime.”

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PAOCC 逮捕中国离岸博彩业“老板的老板”

总统反有组织犯罪办公室（PAOCC）周五表示，当局已逮捕中国公民林训涵，他涉嫌是菲律宾非法离岸博彩运营商（Pogos）网络的“老板的老板”，该网络涉及人口贩卖、网络诈骗和其他犯罪活动。

林训涵，别名吕栋（Lyu Dong），于周四晚在拉古纳省比尼安市的马尼拉别墅区被菲律宾反腐败委员会、移民局和菲律宾武装部队情报局的联合部队逮捕，逮捕人员持有移民局“任务令”。

据PAOCC介绍，林被捕时携带的护照上显示其出生日期为1991年7月4日，而其另一本名为吕栋的护照上显示的出生日期为1989年8月14日。

PAOCC 发言人温斯顿·卡西奥 (Winston Casio) 表示，林的级别“高于”被免职的塔拉克省班班市市长艾丽斯·郭 (Alice Guo)，后者被认为“仅仅是”菲律宾博彩公司背后的犯罪组织的幌子。

他在周五的新闻发布会上表示：“我们还没有揭露谁是菲律宾所有博彩公司的真正教父。”

林成功逃脱了当局对 Lucky South 的突击搜查。卡西奥表示，他的被捕是一个“重大进展”，因为他可以揭露该国的非法 Pogo 运营，他是菲律宾的“先驱”之一。

他说，凭借自己的职位，林可以带领调查人员“找到这些离岸博彩公司的幕后黑手，如果可能的话，他可以告诉我们，哪些人帮助他们扩张，无论是官员还是私人。”

卡西奥表示，当局还在追捕身处海外的离岸博彩业老板黄志阳、吴段仁和张杰。

他说：“我们会尽最大努力抓捕这些人，因为如果我们做到了，那么我们就能从根本上摧毁非法离岸博彩业务的基础设施。”

据 PAOCC 称，林的被捕暴露了“现行制度中的漏洞，而像他这样的骗子会利用这些漏洞”。

报告称：“展望未来，当局不仅要调整现有策略，还要制定全面的措施，以发现、瓦解和防止类似骗局的蔓延。”

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POGO kingpin falls in Laguna – PAOCC

MANILA, Philippines — After an extensive eight-month surveillance, a Chinese national tagged as the kingpin or “boss of bosses” of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the country was arrested in Biñan, Laguna Thursday night along with 12 other Chinese and their Filipino cohorts.

Lyu Dong, also known as Lin Xunhan, was arrested by operatives of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in Las Villas de Manila, a subdivision in Barangay Canlalay in Biñan at around 8:30 p.m.

Lyu had just alighted from his vehicle when heavily armed law enforcement authorities, brandishing a BI mission order, apprehended him.

Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, PAOCC’s executive director, identified the 12 other Chinese nationals arrested as Qui Xingjin, Zhang Jie, Zhang Haifeng, Lin Haiping, Lin Linxing, Wang Mingyang, Yuan Weijiang, Liu Changhuang, Cheng Hengfang, Su Zhonglin, Liu Changwu and Lin Xunqin.

Also rounded up were nine Filipinos serving as bodyguards and drivers of Lyu. Several 9mm handguns were seized from the suspects.

Cruz said Lyu, who also used the aliases Bogo, Boga, Xia Long, Apao, Pahao and Hao Hao, is a key figure in the landscape of organized crime in the Philippines.

“Yung Hao Hao kasi ibig sabihin niyan boss of boss. So eto ‘yung puwede nating sabihin kingpin ng mga POGO dito sa atin (Hao Hao means boss of bosses. So we can say he’s the kingpin of POGO here),” Cruz said in an interview over GMA News “Unang Balita” yesterday.

A background investigation showed Lyu was a big boss at Lucky South 99, a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga raided last June 4 due to reports that it was being used for human trafficking and other illegal activities.

Lyu arrived in the country in 2016 and built a network of scam farms. To conceal his illegal activities, he set up legal businesses as his cover.

Lyu’s areas of operation included Central Luzon, Ilocos, Calabarzon, Central Visayas and Metro Manila. Lyu’s influence stretched across five cities in Metro Manila.

“He built many POGOs, and we’re still checking his involvement in other illegal activities,” Cruz said.

Cruz said Lyu could be one of the personalities whom dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo had stubbornly refused to identify at public hearings of the Senate and House of Representatives. The dismissed mayor, later unmasked as a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, refused to name people with links to POGO.

“Maybe he’s one of those she refused to name because he’s still in the country,” Cruz said, explaining Guo’s being tight-lipped about POGO personalities.

Cruz said they will coordinate with the Chinese embassy to determine if Lyu had also been involved in crimes in China.

Lyu and the other suspects are detained at the PAOCC’s detention facility in Pasay City.

Big win

Sen. Risa Hontiveros described the arrest as a “big win” against POGO-linked criminals, saying “there are bigger bosses out there.”

Hontiveros said Lyu was earlier identified by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, which she chaired. The committee had also established his connection to other key figures behind the establishment of scam hubs in the Philippines.

“The arrest of ‘big boss’ Lyu Dong is a big win in the campaign against the criminal architects of POGO and scam hubs in the country,” Hontiveros said.

“His arrest brings us much closer to our goal of seeking justice for the victims of crimes related to POGOs and scam hubs, and accountability from public officials who enabled and tolerated these crimes,” she added.

The senator commended leaders and personnel of the government agencies involved in the arrest of the Chinese and their Filipino cohorts. But she warned against letting their guard down. “We should not be complacent or reckless,” she pointed out.

“Hopefully this will be followed by the arrest of other ‘big bosses’ of POGO and scam hubs,” the senator said.

She added Lyu could not have operated a huge number of POGO hubs without help from some government people.

“I hope that we can also identify the Filipino associates of Lyu Dong,” Hontiveros said.

“There are bigger bosses out there. We must catch them, and they must be held accountable for their crimes against so many innocent people,” she said.

Sen. Joel Villanueva, for his part, said PAOCC should be given higher budget.

“We laud the efforts of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and our law enforcement agencies for the arrest of one of POGO’s big bosses Lyu Dong. This is a significant development, as we are slowly getting to the bottom of the existence of POGOs in the country,” Villanueva said.

“However, the job is not yet done. Given the extent of the workload that the PAOCC has been doing over the past few months, which involves POGO raids, there is a need to increase their budget and manpower,” the senator added.

“We will not stop until we completely expel the POGOs from our country,” he said.

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POGO 头目在拉古纳落马 – PAOCC

马尼拉，菲律宾——经过八个月的广泛监视，一名被称为菲律宾离岸博彩运营商（POGO）主谋或“老大”的中国公民于周四晚在拉古纳省比尼安与其他 12 名中国人及其菲律宾同伙一起被捕。

吕栋（Lyu Dong），又名林训涵（Lin Xunhan），晚上 8:30 左右在马尼拉拉斯别墅分区被总统反有组织犯罪委员会（PAOCC）、移民局（BI）、菲律宾武装部队和菲律宾国家警察的特工逮捕。

吕刚从车上下来，全副武装的执法人员就手持移民局的任务命令将他逮捕。

PAOCC执行董事、副部长吉尔伯特·克鲁兹确认了另外12名被捕的中国公民，他们分别是：奎兴金、张杰、张海峰、林海平、林林兴、王明阳、袁伟江、刘长黄、程恒芳、苏中林、刘长武和林寻勤。(Qui Xingjin, Zhang Jie, Zhang Haifeng, Lin Haiping, Lin Linxing, Wang Mingyang, Yuan Weijiang, Liu Changhuang, Cheng Hengfang, Su Zhonglin, Liu Changwu and Lin Xunqin.)

被捕的还有担任吕栋保镖和司机的9名菲律宾人。

Guo used private airstrip in escaping to Malaysia?
Oct 11, 2024

DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo may have used a private airstrip in the country to escape to Malaysia last July, the Bureau of Immigration said yesterday.

BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said their analysis of how Guo managed to slip out of the country showed she did not use any major international airport or seaport.

“We believe that she might have used a private airstrip, upang iligal po na makaalis ng bansa (to illegally leave the country) without the knowledge of authorities,” Sandoval told Unang Balita

Sandoval explained that private airstrips are usually managed by a ground handler who informs and asks for clearance from concerned government agencies.

She said they are now investigating this angle to pin down those who assisted Guo in leaving the country despite her name being included in the BI’s immigration lookout bulletin order.

Sandoval added they are also coordinating with their Malaysian counterparts to check the flight manifests of aircraft that arrived in Malaysia during that period.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado told a Senate hearing earlier this week that Guo entered Malaysia through a flight that landed on July 18.

She was later apprehended in Indonesia and turned over to Philippine authorities last September 5.

Guo and her supposed sister, Sheila Guo, told the Senate inquiry that they fled the Philippines aboard boats before arriving in Sabah.

Guo is facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court as well as a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

The Office of the Solicitor General has also filed a quo warranto petition against her to cancel her birth certificate.

Money laundering charges had also been filed against her before the Department of Justice.

Lawmakers and the DOJ are also looking at claims that she is a Chinese spy.

International television news channel Al Jazeera aired a documentary in which Guo was tagged as a Chinese spy by Chinese businessman She Zhijiang, who is jailed in Thailand.

She, who is fighting extradition to China, identified Guo as Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping.

The dismissed mayor has denied being a Chinese spy or knowing She.

Allegations that Guo may be a spy surfaced after the Senate probed her alleged links to the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban that was raided by the authorities due to alleged illegal activities, aided in no small part by the murky details of her citizenship.

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移民局表示，被解职的塔拉克省班班市市长艾丽斯·郭 (Alice Guo,郭华萍) 可能于 7 月使用该国的私人飞机跑道逃往马来西亚。

移民局发言人达娜·克里齐亚·桑多瓦尔 (Dana Krizia Sandoval) 表示，他们对郭如何逃出该国的分析表明，她没有使用任何主要的国际机场或海港。

桑多瓦尔告诉 Unang Balita：“我们相信她可能在当局不知情的情况下使用私人飞机跑道 upang iligal po na makaalis ng bansa（非法离开该国）”

桑多瓦尔解释说，私人飞机跑道通常由地勤人员管理，地勤人员会通知有关政府机构并请求其许可。

她说，他们目前正在从这个角度进行调查，以找出那些帮助郭离开该国的人，尽管她的名字已被列入移民局的移民监视通告中。

桑多瓦尔补充说，他们还正在与马来西亚同行协调，检查该期间抵达马来西亚的飞机的飞行清单。

Alice Guo, family likely fled to Malaysia via air, not sea – BI

MANILA, Philippines — Did the Guo “sisters” lie about how they fled to Malaysia? The Bureau of Immigration (BI) believes so.

Tuesday’s Senate hearing on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) had no shortage of revelations. This included the BI’s preliminary findings as to how the Guo family escaped from the Philippines.

BI officer-in-charge Joel Viado, who replaced former chief Norman Tansingco after the latter was sacked due to lapses in the Guo cases, said the agency was able to verify that Guo entered the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 18.

“Based on our validation, it was confirmed what Senator Hontiveros said, that the subject, Alice Guo, entered Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 18, at 12:17 pm,” Viado said.

At previous hearings, both Alice and her supposed sister Shiela Guo had said they escaped the country on boat. Alice even specified that they escaped through a yacht.

However, both were unable to provide specific details on their escape, citing either their pending court cases or plain forgetfulness.

Viado explained that at the time of the Guos escape, tropical cyclones Butchoy and Carina were in the process of developing. While there were no tropical cyclone wind signal warnings hoisted, there was still inclement weather and rough waves.

This made it unlikely that they escaped through the sea, traveling to Sabah before going to Malaysia.

“Air flights were only delayed or moved but this lowers the possibility of going the route via sea because of the tropical depression and the typhoons which eventually developed,” Viado said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asked Viado if this meant that Shiela was lying when she said that they escaped the country through a boat.

“We might presume that,” Viado said.

Viado said that while there was a Sabah stamp on their passport, it was proven to be falsified. Based on the BI’s search, there were no records that the Guos were in Sabah at all.

The BI is still working on tracing back the Guos’ entrance to Malaysia to discover how she slipped through authorities.

The acting BI chief said it was also unlikely that they hopped on a commercial flight, since they were high-profile personalities and there were stringent security measures.

Alice, who has become known nationwide due to her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, slipped past authorities despite the Senate’s warrant of arrest for her. She was able to travel to Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia before Sen. Risa Hontiveros made the bombshell revelation that Alice had escaped the country.

Shiela has admitted that she is not related to Alice by blood, but said she just went along with what the former mayor would say.

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郭氏姐妹是否就她们逃往马来西亚一事撒了谎？移民局 (BI) 认为她们撒了谎。

周二，参议院就菲律宾离岸博彩运营商 (POGO) 举行的听证会披露了大量信息。其中包括移民局对郭氏家族如何逃离菲律宾的初步调查结果。

移民局局长乔尔·维亚多（Joel Viado）接替前局长诺曼·坦辛科（Norman Tansingco），后者因郭华萍案的处理不力被解职。维亚多表示，移民局已证实郭华萍确实于 7 月 18 日进入吉隆坡国际机场。

维亚多表示：“经核实，证实了洪蒂维罗斯参议员的说法，郭艾丽斯于7月18日中午12点17分进入吉隆坡国际机场。”

在之前的听证会上，艾丽斯和她的妹妹 Shiela Guo 都表示她们是乘船逃离该国的。艾丽斯甚至明确表示，她们是乘游艇逃离的。

然而，两人都无法提供逃跑的具体细节，理由是他们正在等待法庭裁决或只是忘记了。

维亚多解释道，郭逃生时，热带气旋“布乔伊”和“卡丽娜”正在形成，虽然没有发布热带气旋风信号，但天气仍然恶劣，海浪汹涌。

这使得他们不可能通过海路逃走，先到沙巴，再到马来西亚。

移民局代理局长表示，他们也不太可能乘坐商业航班，因为他们都是高调人物，而且安全措施很严格。

—

BI: Alice Guo fled to Malaysia by air

MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her cohorts fled the country to Malaysia by air, at least based on the preliminary conclusion of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

BI Officer in Charge Atty, Joel Anthony Viado bared his agency’s conclusion at the Senate panel on women’s 15th hearing on Guo’s Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) ties.

During the Tuesday hearing, Viado was asked by panel head Sen. Risa Hontiveros what BI’s conclusion was in relation to Guo’s escape.

“She entered Malaysia [by] air on July 18,” Viado simply said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada then asked how certain Viado was that Guo and company flew to Malayisa.

“We’re basing it on the confirmation as to her actual entry into Kuala Lumpur,” said Viado.

Estrada proceeded to question if this means that Guo’s earlier admission that she, together with Shiela and Wesley, boarded multiple boats to Malaysia was a lie.

“If she went to Malaysia via sea it might have been through Sabah, but there was no record of entry of Alice Guo into Sabah on July 19, 2024,” Viado insisted.

According to Hontiveros, there was a Sabah stamp on Guo and her cohorts’ passports, but it was proven to be fake. This means that as far as BI is concerned, there’s no record of their Sabah entry on July 19.

Both Alice and Shiela earlier said they boarded three boats to flee the Philippines: a small boat, a “fishing ship,” and later on transferred to a small “blue or green” boat direct to Malaysia.

—

根据移民局（BI）的初步结论，被解职的市长艾丽斯·郭（Alice Guo）及其同伙是乘飞机逃往马来西亚。

在周二的听证会上，小组主席参议员里萨·洪蒂维罗斯询问移民局维亚多对郭华萍外逃事件的结论是什么。

维亚多简单地说道：“她于 7 月 18 日乘飞机入境马来西亚。”

埃斯特拉达继续质疑，这是否意味着郭华萍先前承认她与希拉和韦斯利一起登上多艘船前往马来西亚是一个谎言。

维亚多坚称：“如果她通过海路前往马来西亚，可能是经过沙巴，但没有艾丽斯·郭于 2024 年 7 月 19 日进入沙巴的记录。”

据洪蒂维罗斯称，郭等人的护照上盖有沙巴印章，但后来证实是伪造的。这意味着，对于移民局而言，没有他们于7月19日进入沙巴的记录。

艾丽斯和希拉早前均表示，她们登上了三艘船逃离菲律宾：一艘小船、一艘“渔船”，后来转乘一艘小型“蓝色或绿色”船直达马来西亚。

POGO hub allegedly linked to love scam raided in Pasay
October 3, 2024

A Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub linked to “love scam” activities was raided by authorities in Pasay City on Thursday, Oscar Oida reported on “24 Oras.”

Over 200 personnel of the firm were arrested in the operation conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and Pasay City Police on Thursday at around 6 p.m.

Most of them are Chinese nationals involved in the love scam, which is said to be the primary modus of the POGO hub.

The authorities will examine the confiscated computers, cellphones, SIM cards, and other items to build a case against those arrested.

They could face charges for violation of the Anti-Cyber Crime Act and immigration laws for working without permits.

PAOCC undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said they believe some of those arrested were “big bosses” of the POGO.

“Ang tingin ko may mga nakuha tayong big boss dito. Yung iba dinatnan natin sa opisina ng mga boss, like ito opisina ng big boss, titingnan natin ang background niya kasi sa itsura niya palang talagang boss na boss ang dating niya,” said Cruz.

(I think we have some big bosses here. We found some of them in the offices of the bosses. We will check their background,” he added.

—

Philippines detains more than 250 in scam hub raid
Oct 04, 2024

Philippine authorities have detained more than 250 people, most of them Chinese, in a raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila, law enforcement officials said Friday.

Police and other authorities raided the office building late Thursday to find staff with hundreds of phones, computers, and pre-registered international and local SIM cards, the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission said.

“These are red flags of love scamming that victimises foreign nationals,” the commission said in a statement, referring to schemes in which scammers pretend to have romantic feelings for their victims in order to earn their trust and eventually steal their money.

International concern has been growing over similar scam farms in Asia, often staffed by victims of trafficking who were tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments and other cons.

In July, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos outlawed all forms of offshore gaming operators, including internet gaming licence holders, after the gambling industry was found to be linked to financial scams, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, torture and murder.

Thousands of foreign workers at the outlawed firms were given two months to leave the Philippines.

In the Manila raid on Thursday, 190 Chinese, two Taiwanese and 62 Filipinos were detained at the offices of a company called 3D Analyzer Information Technologies Inc.

The company used to have an internet gaming licence but subsequently told regulators it had “ceased operations”, Gilberto Cruz, the executive director of the anti-crime commission, told AFP.

“We’re looking for their passports or working visas, but they couldn’t show us anything,” Cruz added.

The commission will liaise with the Beijing and Taipei missions to help identify and arrange the deportation of the foreigners, the official said.

Meanwhile, Filipinos found to be involved in scamming activities will be charged in court, he added.

Cruz said the commission would also apply to the courts for warrants to search computers found inside the office.

—

菲破获诈骗基地 逮逾250中国台湾菲律宾嫌犯
菲律宾当局星期四破获一处离岸博弈兼诈骗基地。

（马尼拉4日讯）菲律宾多个执法单位3日在大马尼拉地区联手破获一处离岸博弈兼诈骗基地，逮捕超过250名嫌犯，包括190名中国公民及2名台湾人。

据悉该大型犯罪集团仅一周的非法获利，就高达3.5亿菲律宾比索（约2600万令吉），诈骗金额相当可观。

菲律宾总统府反组织犯罪委员会、移民局以及警方当天傍晚6时左右在巴赛市联合突袭距菲律宾参议院不到1公里的一栋大楼，在里面发现离岸博弈兼诈骗基地。

此次打诈行动共带回254名犯嫌，其中有190人是中国籍、62人为菲律宾籍，还有2名台湾人，且诈团成员以男性占多数，女性仅68人，同时还在现场查扣一批电脑、手机、SIM卡等相关犯罪证物。

初步调查显示，嫌犯除涉及离岸博弈业务之外，也对受害人进行“爱情诈骗”；他们面临非法打工以及违反移民局法律等控告。

离岸博弈产业据信于2016年起在菲律宾大行其道，锁定海外市场，但许多公司在博弈的外壳下从事金钱诈骗、洗钱、人口走私、绑架甚至杀人等不法行为，带来严重社会问题。

菲律宾总统小马可斯在7月22日发表国情咨文时，已经指示主管单位菲律宾娱乐博彩公司（PAGCOR）在今年底以前，查禁所有在菲国营运的离岸博弈公司。

—

250 NABBED IN PAOCC RAID ON POGO HUB

PHILIPPINE author­it­ies have detained more than 250 people, most of them Chinese, in a raid on a sus­pec­ted online scam farm in Manila, law enforce­ment offi­cials said Fri­day.

Police and other author­it­ies raided the office build­ing late Thursday to find staff with hun­dreds of phones, com­puters, and pre-registered inter­na­tional and local SIM cards, the Pres­id­en­tial Anti-Organ­ised Crime Com­mis­sion (PAOCC) said.

“This is sim­ilar to the one we raided in Bam­ban, the one by [sus­pen­ded] Mayor Alice Guo. This is also sim­ilar to the one we raided in Porac and other Pogos we raided in Metro Manila,” PAOCC Under­sec­ret­ary Gil­bert Cruz said in a tele­vi­sion inter­view.

The PAOCC said “these are red flags of love scam­ming that vic­tim­ises for­eign nation­als,” refer­ring to schemes in which scam­mers pre­tend to have romantic feel­ings for their vic­tims in order to earn their trust and even­tu­ally steal their money.

In the Manila raid on Thursday, 190 Chinese, two Taiwanese and 62 Filipi­nos were detained at the offices of a com­pany called 3D Ana­lyzer Inform­a­tion Tech­no­lo­gies Inc.

The com­pany used to have an inter­net gam­ing license but sub­sequently told reg­u­lat­ors it had “ceased oper­a­tions”, Gil­berto Cruz, the exec­ut­ive dir­ector of the anti-crime com­mis­sion, told Agence France Presse (AFP).

“We’re look­ing for their pass­ports or work­ing visas, but they couldn’t show us any­thing,” Cruz added.

Inter­na­tional con­cern has been grow­ing over sim­ilar scam farms in Asia, often staffed by vic­tims of traf­fick­ing who were tricked or coerced into pro­mot­ing bogus crypto invest­ments and other cons.

8 Alice Guo co-accused transferred to Pasig jail —BJMP

Eight co-accused of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo have been transferred to Pasig City Jail from Tarlac Provincial Jail, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said on Friday.

BJMP spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera on Friday said the following persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were received in the Pasig City Jail Male Dormitory on Thursday:
Walter Wong Long
Shicong Zhang or “Olaf”
Huang Yue Hai
Ma The Pong
Wang Weili
Wuli Dong or “Yousuf”
Nong Ding Chang or “Todd”
Lang Xu Po or “Ah Xun”

Bustinera said they were received following the BJMP standard protocols on the commitment of PDLs.

“All PDLs have charges of Qualified Trafficking under Pasig RTC 166. Walter Wong Long has another case with Pasig RTC 167 with the other co-accused of Alice Guo,” Bustinera added.

On September 23, Guo was also transferred to Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory from the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Guo is facing charges for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion, falsification, obstruction of justice, and perjury.

The accused individuals were arrested following an investigation into the alleged illegal activities of some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) firms.

—

8 名 Alice Guo 同案被告被转移到帕西格监狱 —BJMP

监狱管理和刑罚局 (BJMP) 周五表示，被解职的 Bamban Tarlac 市长 Alice Guo 的八名同案被告已从 Tarlac 省监狱转移到 Pasig 市监狱。

BJMP 发言人、监狱长杰瑞克斯·布斯蒂内拉 (Jayrex Bustinera) 周五表示，帕西格市监狱男性宿舍周四接收了以下被剥夺自由的人员 (PDL)：
沃尔特·黄龙
张世聪或“奥拉夫”
黄月海
马德邦
王伟丽
Wuli Dong 或“Yousuf”
农鼎昌或“托德”
狼勈婆或“阿寻”

9月23日，郭华萍也从奎松市Camp Crame的PNP拘留中心被转移到Pasig市监狱女性宿舍。

(The Philippine News Agency)
DFA cancels ‘fraudulently acquired’ passport of Alice Guo

CANCELLED. Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo during the House of Representatives quad committee hearing on illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators at the Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City on Sept. 19, 2024. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday (Oct. 4) said it has canceled Guo’s Philippine passport, saying it was “fraudulently acquired” after confirming that her biometrics matched that of a certain Chinese national “Guo Hua Ping”. (PNA photo)

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled the Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Alice Guo, saying it was “fraudulently acquired” after confirming that her biometrics matched that of a certain Chinese national “Guo Hua Ping”.

Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the cancellation took effect on Sept. 30, 2024.

“Upon receipt on 18 September 2024 from the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the certification issued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) dated 24 August 2024 that the biometrics of Alice Leal Guo in the Passport Database match the biometrics of Guo Hua Ping in NBI files, the DFA canceled the Philippine passport issued under the identity of Alice Leal Guo,” she said in a statement on Friday.

The cancelation, she said, is by virtue of Section 10 (b) (4) of the New Philippine Passport Law, which allows the agency to cancel a passport if it was “acquired fraudulently, tampered with, or issued erroneously”.

Daza stressed that the DFA enforces a “zero tolerance policy for unscrupulous individuals” circumventing the Philippine passport application and issuance procedures.

“The DFA is committed to upholding the security and integrity of issuing Philippine passports and assures the public that fraudulent application and acquisition of passports are referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution,” she said.

The Office of the President previously instructed Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo to take “appropriate action” for the cancellation of Guo’s passport after she fled the country for Indonesia.

She was deported on Sept. 6 and had been appearing in congressional hearings over her alleged involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) activities in Bamban, Tarlac.

On Friday, five days before the filing period for the 2025 polls ends, her lawyer revealed that Guo will seek reelection as Bamban mayor and would be filing her candidacy papers possibly next week. (PNA)

—

菲律宾外交部（DFA）取消了被解职的班班（Bamban）, 塔拉克 艾丽丝·郭（Tarlac Alice Guo）的菲律宾护照，称其护照是“通过欺诈手段获取的”，因为在确认她的生物特征与一名名叫“郭华萍”的中国公民相符后。

Falsification raps filed vs. Guo, notary public

FALSIFICATION RAPS. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla (left) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago hold a press conference after the filing of fresh falsification raps against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and five others on Thursday (Oct. 3, 2024). The accused are charged with falsification by a notary public, use of falsified documents, perjury, and obstruction of justice after it was found out that Guo’s signature on her notarized counter-affidavit was not hers. (PNA photo)

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday filed additional criminal charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and five others over the irregularities in her filing of a sworn counter-affidavit in another case.

Named respondents were Guo, lawyer Elmer Galicia, Dante Catapay, Cheryl Medina, Catherine Salazar, and Geraldine Pepito.

“The cases we filed against them are falsification by a notary public, use of falsified documents, perjury, and obstruction of justice,” NBI Director Jaime Santiago said in a press briefing.

The charges arose from a motion to re-open filed by Guo’s lawyers in a separate charge for qualified trafficking against her.

Legislators concluded that Guo could not have signed the motion before the notary as she had already fled the country by that time.

NBI Chief Fraud and Financial Crimes Division and Task Force Alice Guo head Palmer Mallari said the investigation involved original documents from before and after Guo slipped out of the country.

“We collected sample signatures on original documents before the Bamban municipality as prior sample specimen signatures. We also collected sample specimen signatures purportedly signed subsequent to the days of the counter affidavit. This is for purposes of submitting that to our document division,” Mallari said.

“After the examination of our QDD (NBI- Questioned Documents Division), it was proven that the sample signatures appearing on all those documents as compared to the supposed signature appearing on the CA were not written by one and the same person,” he said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said they would most likely pursue the administrative complaint before the Supreme Court (SC) against Galicia, the notary public.

“Dapat lang (Absolutely), we should pursue (the complaint),” he said.

Santiago, a retired lower court judge also said the claims made during the legislative inquiries by Guo’s staff that they had prepared signed “last pages” meant to be attached to filings on behalf of the dismissed mayor “is unacceptable.”

“No, that’s irregular. The affidavit should be signed in the presence of the notary public,” he said.

Chinese agent

Authorities, meanwhile, said they are still studying closely the statements made by Chinese business tycoon She Zhijiang who has admitted to being an agent of the Chinese government and who has identified Guo as a fellow operative.

The self-confessed Chinese agent, who is being detained in Thailand, made the statement in an Al Jazeera news report, claiming that he had regularly met with Guo and warned her of whom to trust.

Guo has denied Zhijiang’s allegations.

“Kailangan namin na mag-conduct ng investigation nung declaration ng nakakulong na yun. Bine-verify namin mabuti yung claims niya (We need to conduct an investigation on the declarations of that detainee. We are verifying his claims),” Santiago said.

Remulla reiterated his office’s deep concern over the implications of the report.

“These allegations are very serious allegations. We take that seriously, especially, there (are other) things involved. There are other things we have to look at, her birth certificate, Philippine passport kung paano nakuha (how she obtained them),” he said.

“Itong nakita natin kay (What we saw in) Alice Guo reminds us that we have national security concerns on these matters, where fake identity is involved.”

Remulla said they are also investigating reports of driver’s licenses being issued to foreigners without clearance from the Bureau of Immigration.

“May (There are) national security implications itong (in these) false identities or authentic documents with false information in them, and not properly secured… of the holders of these documents,” he said. (PNA)

—

郭华萍及其公证员被控伪造证件

周四（2024 年 10 月 3 日），司法部长 Jesus Crispin Remulla（左）和国家调查局 (NBI) 局长 Jaime Santiago 在对被解职的 Bamban、Tarlac 市长 Alice Guo 和其他五人提起新的伪造指控后举行新闻发布会。被告被指控公证人伪造、使用伪造文件、作伪证和妨碍司法公正，因为发现 Guo 在公证反宣誓书上的签名不是她的。

被告人包括郭华萍、律师 Elmer Galicia、Dante Catapay、Cheryl Medina、Catherine Salazar 和 Geraldine Pepito。

国家调查局局长海梅·圣地亚哥在新闻发布会上表示：“我们对他们提起的诉讼包括公证人伪造、使用伪造文件、作伪证和妨碍司法公正。”

国调局欺诈和金融犯罪部门负责人兼爱丽丝郭特别工作组负责人帕尔默马拉里 (Palmer Mallari) 表示，调查涉及郭出境前后的原始文件。

“我们在 Bamban 市政府之前收集了原始文件上的签名样本，我们还收集了据称是在反诉书之后签署的签名样本。”Mallari 说道。

“经过我们国家调查局 (NBI) 质疑文件部门 (QDD) 的检查，证实所有这些文件上出现的样本签名与 CA 上出现的所谓签名相比，不是由同一个人写的，”他表示。

Solon says Alice Guo is his school batch-mate; describes her as ‘friendly, makulit’

House Assistant Minority Leader 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez told dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo during the quad-committee (quad-comm) hearing Friday, Sept. 27 that they were actually batch-mates at Grace Christian College.

This, as the controversial Guo maintained her refusal to answer whether or not the pupil in the now viral class photo taken during the early 2000s was her.

“I invoke my right po [against self-incrimination on the class picture],” Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, told her interpellatpr, Gutierrez.

“Pwede mo namang sabihin na hindi ikaw ‘yon ‘di ba? (You can say that the pupil isn’t you, right?)” Gutierrez asked.

“Your Honor I hope you understand, sa sobrang dami na pong kaso na nasampahan po ngayon sa court kaya anything na isasagot ko po dito sa inyo might be used against me po,” she said.

(With all the cases filed in court against me right now, anything that I will answer to you might be used against me.)

“Kung talagang hindi ikaw ‘yan (If it’s not really you), I think you would have said that’s not you.

“But instead you invoked your right to self-incrimination, and why do I not believe that? I can identify two of the people behind you. Magka-batch po tayo (we are batch-mates) Ms. Guo,” the party-list solon said, referring to the class photo.

Gutierrez went on to share the special four-way panel his recollections of Guo from school.

“I know what year this was taken, and they have a description of you—nung pumasok ka po sa Grace, napaka-thick po ng accent ninyo (when you entered Grace, your accent was very thick),” he said.

“Mandarin lang ang kaya niyong salitain (You could only speak Mandarin), but you were very friendly and you very makulit (active), and that’s why they had a hard time to forget you even though hanggang Grade 3 ka lang daw po dun (You only stayed there up to Grade 3),” added Gutierrez, a lawyer.

“Now, I know like I said that’s hearsay as far as the committee’s concerned kasi hindi naman nandito yung may personal knowledge nun (because the person who has the personal knowledge isn’t here), but when I was talking to that person with personal knowledge, na-convince naman ako (I was convinced) and they’ve identified you,” he said.

With this, Gutierrez also expressed doubts over Guo’s claim that she’s 38 years old. He suspects that she could be younger.

“In fact if you are 38, and this picture was 2001, you would have been 13, 14 po ba (right)?” he asked the alleged Chinese spy and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) personality.

“Eh kasing age mo naman ‘yong mga—these people were born 91, 92? (You appear to be the same age as these people born in 91, 92?)…Eh I don’t think you’re that much older than them and that’s why I don’t buy that story that you were born in 1986,” said the “Young Guns” bloc member.

—

Solon 说 Alice Guo 是他的同学，形容她“友好、可爱”

众议院少数党助理领袖、1-Rider 党派议员 Rodge Gutierrez(古铁雷斯) 在 9 月 27 日星期五的四方委员会 (quad-comm) 听证会上告​​诉被解职的 Bamban、Tarlac 市长 Alice Guo，他们实际上是 Grace Christian College 的同学。

与此同时，备受争议的郭一直拒绝回答 在网上流传的那张21 世纪初班级照片中的学生是否是她自己。

郭（别名郭华萍）向质询者古铁雷斯表示：“我行使我的权利（不就班级照片自证其罪）。”

“Pwede mo namang sabihin na Hindi ikaw ‘yon ‘di ba？（你可以说那个学生不是你，对吧？）”古铁雷斯问道。

她说：“法官大人，我希望你能理解，任何事情都可能被用来对付我。”

（由于目前法庭上针对我提起的所有诉讼，我向您回答的任何问题都可能被用来对付我。）

“Kung talagang hindi ikaw ‘yan （如果那不是真正的你），我想你会说那不是你。

“但你却援引了自证其罪的权利，我为什么不相信呢？我可以认出你身后的两个人。郭女士，我们是同班同学。”该党派名单上的议员指着班级照片说道。

古铁雷斯继续在特别的四方座谈会上分享了他对郭在学校的回忆。

“我知道这张照片是在哪一年拍摄的，他们对你有这样的描述——当你走进格雷斯的时候，你的口音很重，”他说。

“你只会说普通话，但你非常友好，非常活跃，这就是为什么尽管你只在那里待到三年级，他们也很难忘记你，”律师古铁雷斯补充道。

“现在，我知道就像我说的，就委员会而言，那只是道听途说，因为拥有个人知识的人不在这里，但当我与拥有个人知识的那个人交谈时，我确信了，他们已经确认了你的身份，”他说道。

对此，古铁雷斯也对郭所说的38岁的说法表示怀疑，他怀疑她的年龄可能更小。

他向这位涉嫌间谍和菲律宾离岸博彩运营商（POGO）人士询问道：“事实上，如果你 38 岁，而这张照片拍摄于 2001 年，那你当时应该是 13、14 岁吧？”

“Eh kasing age mo naman ‘yong mga—这些人是 91, 92 年出生的？（您看起来与这些 91、92 年出生的人年龄相同）……我不认为您比他们大多少，这就是为什么我不相信您出生于 1986 年的说法，”

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Rep. Gutierrez says he’s batchmates Alice Guo: She wasn’t born in 1986

MANILA, Philippines — 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez accused dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo of lying about her age and whereabouts when she was a child, as his friends studied at the same Quezon City school that she attended and were batchmates with Guo.

At the second half of the House of Representatives quad committee hearing on Friday, Gutierrez asked Guo if she was born in 1986, to which the former mayor confirmed.

However, when Gutierrez raised questions about a class photo allegedly showing a young Guo, she invoked her right against self-incrimination, which the lawmaker believed was a sign that Guo was lying.

“Although this might be hearsay for the committee, pero ako po personally I hope you’d understand, ‘di po ako naniniwala sa story na kayo po ay sa Tarlac from (age) zero to 38. Ms. Guo, while waiting for that po, you say you were born in 1986, tama po ba?” Gutierrez said. “That puts you at, how old are you now po?”

(Although this might be hearsay for the committee, but I hope you’ll understand that I do not believe the story that you are from Tarlac from age zero to 38. Ms. Guo, while waiting for that, you say you were born in 1986, is that correct?)

“Yes po, your Honor, 38,” Guo replied. “Your Honor, I hope you understand, there are so many cases filed against me before the courts; that’s why anything I will say here might be used against me po.”

“Well I think that’s why I have a tendency not to believe you, because if that really is not you, I think you would have said that’s not you,” Gutierrez added.

Gutierrez then showed Guo the class photo again, saying he knew some of the people in the photo since her batchmates at the Grace Christian School were his college friends.

“Why do I not believe that? I can identify two of the people behind you, magka-batch po tayo, Ms. Guo. I know what year this was taken, and they have a description of you — no’ng pumasok ka po sa Grace, napaka-thick po ng accent ninyo, Mandarin lang ang kaya niyong salitain, but you were very friendly and you very makulit,” Gutierrez said.

(Why do I not believe that? I can identify two of the people behind you; we are of the same batch, Ms. Guo. I know what year this was taken, and they have a description of you — when you entered Grace, you had a thick accent, and you were only able to speak Mandarin, but you were very friendly and very playful.)

“That’s why they had a hard time to forget you even though you stayed there up to Grade 3 only. Now I know, like I said, that’s hearsay as far as the committee’s concerned because the one with personal knowledge is not here, but when I was talking to that person with personal knowledge, I was convinced that they’ve identified you,” he added.

According to Gutierrez, if Guo is 38 years old now, that would make her 14 years old when the photo was taken. However, this does not seem to be the case, as Guo’s frame appears similar to other children in the class picture.

Gutierrez also noted that Guo’s classmates called her Ping, which bears semblance to her Chinese name as discovered by the National Bureau of Investigation, Guo Hua Ping.

“In fact, if you are 38, and this picture was [from] 2001, you would have been 13, 14 po ba? But you look the same age here, — these people were born ’91, ’92? You are of the same size, that’s why I don’t think you’re that much older than them and that’s why I don’t buy that story that you were born in 1986,” he noted.

“In fact, they called you Ping; Ping po ‘yong nickname niyo dito,” he added.

Guo’s schooling history was one of the topics discussed in the initial portions of the Senate hearing on the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Bamban, as senators were skeptical of her personal details.

Guo then claimed that she was homeschooled by a certain Teacher Rubilyn, who can no longer be invited to the hearing as she died years ago.

However, Senator Win Gatchalian revealed last July 10 that he and Guo attended the same school, as documents presented to the Senate committee on women showed.

“We were tipped off that apparently Guo Hua Ping or Alice Guo didn’t grow up on a farm. She was not homeschooled. She went to school, and I’ll show you the proof,” he said.

“Since her real name was revealed in the hearings, we found out that she studied in the same school as I did, Grace Christian High School. For Grades 1, 2, and 3,” he added.

Guo has maintained several times that she was not linked to the Pogo in Bamban, but the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) itself accused her of having business interests in Baofu, which owns the land where the raided Pogo sits.

DILG said Baofu, as represented by Guo who was president of the company, purchased eight parcels of land in Bamban last February 2019.

Guo claims to have divested ownership of Baofu when she ran for mayor, but DILG believes the amount she divested it for — P2.5 million — was “grossly incongruent to her investment on Baufo which is approximately eight hectares of land.”

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众议员古铁雷斯称他的同学艾丽斯·郭并非出生于 1986 年

菲律宾马尼拉——第一骑士党众议员拉蒙·罗德里戈·古铁雷斯指控被解职的班班市市长艾丽斯·郭（Alice Guo）谎报她的年龄和儿时行踪，因为他的朋友们与艾丽斯在奎松市的同一所学校上学，并且是郭的同学。

在周五众议院四方委员会听证会的下半场，古铁雷斯询问郭女士是否出生于 1986 年，这位前市长对此予以了证实。

然而，当古铁雷斯对一张据称有年轻时郭的班级照片提出质疑时，她援引了自己的拒绝自证其罪的权利，而这位议员认为，这表明郭在撒谎。

“虽然这对委员会来说可能是道听途说，但我个人希望你能理解，这个故事讲述了塔拉克从零到 38 岁的故事。郭女士，在等待那份文件时，你说你出生于 1986 年，是吗？”古铁雷斯说。“那你现在几岁了？”

“是的，法官大人，38 岁，”郭回答道。“法官大人，我希望您能理解，法庭上有很多针对我的案件；这就是为什么我在这里说的任何话都可能被用来对付我。”

“好吧，我想这就是为什么我倾向于不相信你，因为如果那真的不是你，我想你会说那不是你，”古铁雷斯补充道。

古铁雷斯随后再次向郭展示了这张全班合影，并表示他认识照片中的一些人，因为她在恩典基督教学校的同学是他的大学朋友。

（我为什么不相信？你身后的两个人，我可以认出我们是同一批的，郭小姐。我知道这是哪一年拍的，他们有对你的描述——你刚进Grace的时候，口音很重，只会说普通话，但很友善，很活泼。）

“这就是为什么他们很难忘记你，尽管你只在那里待到三年级。现在我知道，就像我说的，就委员会而言，这只是道听途说，因为知情的人不在，但当我与知情的人交谈时，我确信他们已经认出了你，”他补充道。

古铁雷斯表示，如果郭现在 38 岁，那么拍照时她只有 14 岁。然而，事实似乎并非如此，因为郭的身材与班级照片中的其他孩子相似。

古铁雷斯还指出，郭的同学都叫她“萍”，而国家调查局发现，这个名字与她的中文名字“郭华萍”很相似。

“事实上，如果你 38 岁，而这张照片是 2001 年拍摄的，那你当时应该只有 13、14 岁吧？但你看起来年龄一样大，这些人是 1991 年、1992 年出生的,你的体型也一样，这就是为什么我认为你并不比他们大很多，这也是为什么我不相信你是 1986 年出生的说法，”他指出。

“事实上，他们叫你萍，”他补充道。

‘Isa po akong victim,’ Alice Guo says as she vows tell-all in executive session

MANILA (UPDATED) — After being portrayed as one of the alleged big bosses of illegal POGOs, dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Tuesday declared herself as a “victim” as she vowed to tell all in a Senate executive session.

“Di po ako mastermind. Masasabi ko po isa po akong victim… I think sa tagal po ng investigation, alam na rin po ng committee…who is really at the back of everything,” Guo told the Senate Committee on Women.

Asked if she was being used by a criminal syndicate, Guo said: “Your honor, ‘di naman po sa ginamit. If ever po, kung meron po akong naitulong, ano po akong tao, helpful akong tao. Kung meron man po, ‘yun lang po.”

“Sa mga activities po na ginawa or sa mga allegtions po, wala po akong kinalaman,” she added.

When asked if she was willing to identify the “most guilty” in the illegal POGO operations, she said “yes.”

The panel finally agreed to hold an executive session after Guo promised to disclose information that she was afraid to share in a public hearing due to supposed death threats.

Guo said she was thankful but requested to delay the executive session due to the absence of her main lawyer Stephen David, who would return to Manila from Cebu on Thursday.

“I really advise you to take advantage of this moment,” Hontiveros said.

Guo eventually agreed to an executive session.

The executive session only lasted a few minutes since the Senators needed to attend the 3 p.m. session.

“May napala naman,” said Senator JV Ejercito.

The executive session will be continued next week.

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‘Victim’ Alice Guo willing to name POGO ‘most guilty’

MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, who has been linked to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations and POGO-related crimes, claims she is a victim rather than a mastermind.

And she is willing to name, in executive session, the “most guilty” in POGO operations.

During yesterday’s continuation of the public hearing of the Senate committee on women, children and family affairs presided over by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito asked Guo whether she was willing to divulge the identities of other big bosses in the POGOs.

“We will have an executive session before we wrap up. You are tired – 12 hours (hearing in) Congress, here (in the Senate) for a few hours. Maybe you already feel sorry for yourself, but we should also feel sorry for the victims of POGOs. Are you a mastermind and are you willing to talk about who is behind these operations?” Ejercito asked Guo.

Wearing a black face mask, Guo replied, “I’m not a mastermind. You can say I’m a victim.”

Ejercito further pressed, “So you are a victim, a pawn or being used by an international criminal syndicate?”

Guo replied: “It’s not I was used. If ever, I helped, it’s because I am a helpful person. If there is anything, that’s it. But the activities that were done or the allegations, I have nothing to do with it.”

Ejercito further asked, “Are you guilty or most guilty or do you think there are others who are more guilty?”

“I am not guilty,” Guo maintained. “I think that during the investigation, the committee already knows, especially chaired by our madam chair, who is at the back of everything.”

Ejercito reminded Guo that “she still has a chance to say. We also feel sorry for the victims of POGOs. In the executive session, we can’t release it to the public, we understand that you are afraid. We understand, to reduce your guilt, are you willing to say who is the most guilty?”

Guo replied, “Yes po.”

“I am expecting Miss Alice Guo will divulge who is the masterminds of the international criminal syndicate, we will be responsible for her safety,” Ejercito noted.

The executive session continued into the night.

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被指控为非法博彩公司的大佬之一的艾丽斯·郭（Alice Guo），于周二宣称自己是“受害者”，并发誓要在参议院执行会议上说出一切。

由参议员里萨·洪蒂维罗斯担任主席的妇女、儿童、家庭关系和性别平等委员会于 2024 年 9 月 24 日恢复对所报告的涉及 POGO 的人口贩运、网络欺诈行动和其他犯罪行为的调查。

被解职的班班市市长艾丽斯·郭（Alice Guo）涉嫌参与菲律宾非法离岸博彩业务和与 POGO 有关的犯罪活动，她声称自己是受害者，而不是主谋。

她还愿意在执行会议上点名网络博彩运营商运营中“罪魁祸首”。