Bamban Mayor suspended over alleged gaming links

Alice Guo and two officials have suspended amid an investigation into alleged involvement with illegal gambling.

The Philippines.- Alice Guo has been suspended as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. Two municipal officials have also been placed under preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman. The news comes amid an investigation into their alleged links in illegal activities related to an offshore gaming operator hub in the area.

The order was issued by ombudsman Samuel Martires following a petition from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The municipal officials suspended are Edwin Ocampo, business permit and licensing officer, and Adenn Sigua, municipal legal officer. They will be suspended without pay during the investigation, which could last up to six months.

Through a social media post, Guo acknowledged the suspension order and asserted her innocence. She expressed her willingness to cooperate with authorities. DILG undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas welcomed the ombudsman’s decision.The DILG had filed an administrative complaint accusing Guo, Ocampo, and Sigua of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and gross neglect of duty.

Guo allegedly issued business permits to Zun Yuan Technology despite the expiration of its licence from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). Ocampo processed and issued permits to Zun Yuan without proper documentation, while Sigua failed to investigate officials who supported the permits. There are also allegations that Guo’s divestment from an associated company, Baofu Land Development, was not genuine.

The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality plans to hold an executive session to examine Alice Guo’s assets and possible links to offshore gambling operators. According to the Philippines News Agency, relevant agencies will be invited to the executive session, which will be followed by a public hearing.

Meanwhile, senator Sherwin Gatchalian of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) called for the expulsion of Guo from the party due to her alleged connections to money laundering and offshore gambling operators.