Philippine Senate convicts former mayor Alice Guo for second time of contempt of court – World

MANILA (Reuters) – Former Philippine city mayor Alice Guo was charged with contempt of court for the second time on Monday after refusing to answer senators' questions about her alleged ties to Chinese crime syndicates and her escape from the country two months ago.

The 38-year-old former mayor of Bamban was arrested in Indonesia last week – together with a Chinese monk and with her hair cut short to disguise herself, authorities said – and deported home.

She denies any criminal connection.

When Guo appeared before a Senate investigative committee wearing a bulletproof vest, she appeared calm and avoided most of the questions, saying death threats and ongoing criminal proceedings prevented her from answering.

She neither specified the threats nor provided any evidence for them.

In July, senators first convicted Guo of contempt of court and ordered her arrest for failing to appear for a hearing. Law enforcement officials later discovered that she left the Philippines in July and traveled to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Guo, mayor of Bamban since 2022, was removed from office by the Ombudsman last month for serious misconduct. A Philippine court has accused her of corruption and the Justice Department has filed a money laundering charge against her.

Senators took turns questioning Guo on Monday, reacting angrily and accusing her of lying about being Filipina, even though the National Bureau of Investigation has evidence showing that her fingerprints match those of Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping.

“I move to cite Guo Hua Ping, also known as Alice Guo, for contempt of the Senate for giving false and evasive testimony before this committee,” said Senate Committee Chair Risa Hontiveros, whose motion was quickly adopted.

Escape by boat

When asked how she escaped, Guo said she and her companions fled on a yacht with the help of an Asian woman whose name she declined to disclose and then transferred to a larger boat.

The Senate launched an investigation into Guo in May after a raid on a casino in Bamban uncovered fraud at a facility on land partly owned by the plaintiff.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week called on Guo to disclose how gambling companies targeting customers in China – the so-called Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) – drifted into criminality.

Marcos banned the online gambling industry in July.

“I am not involved in POGOs,” Guo said Monday in one of her few clear answers to senators.

Her case comes at a time when suspicion over China's activities is growing following the escalation of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.