MANILA, Philippines — Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo maintained that she was not involved in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), appealing to everyone to “focus on facts, not on mere opinions and character assassination.”
In a Facebook statement on Thursday, Guo said that the accusations against her are “baseless” and are just trying to “implicate” her.
She also questioned Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros as well as other government offices for being “fixated” on her.
“If they have evidence against me, I am ready to face them in a fair trial and at a proper forum,” she added.
An initial investigation conducted by the Senate panel on women chaired by Hontiveros found that Guo was associated with Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, a Pogo that took over Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated.
Hongsheng was raided in February 2023, and then it was replaced by Zun Yuan in the same location. It was raided again in March 2024 for charges of alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
Furthermore, Gatchalian said last Friday that billions of pesos entered the 36 bank accounts of Guo. The Court of Appeals froze the assets of the suspended mayor and other individuals linked to illegal Pogos.
READ: Hontiveros to Alice Guo: Facebook posts don’t replace Senate hearings
The Senate ordered the arrest of Alice Guo and seven others for failure to attend the July 10 Senate panel on women hearing on illegal Pogos.
In a statement, Guo said that she was unable to attend the last two Senate hearings “due to the severe exhaustion and trauma.” She also added that her “priority now is health and peace of mind” to properly address the issues concerning her.