On August 13 local time, Alice Guo, the mayor of Bamban city, Tarlac, Philippines, also known as the POGO mayor, was ordered suspended and dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman on charges of serious misconduct.
According to the Ombudsman's decision, Alice Guo will be deprived of retirement benefits and permanently banned from entering government service.
Alice Guo is accused of aiding in the establishment of an illegal online gambling center during her tenure, but she denies the allegations. Despite findings by the National Bureau of Investigation that her fingerprints matched those of Chinese citizen Alice Guo, she still claims to be Filipino.
Senator Risa Hontiveros stated that Alice Guo is a Chinese citizen and not eligible to serve as a mayor in the Philippines. After confirming she is not Filipino, her title should be immediately stripped. She emphasized that Alice Guo must be held accountable for violating the law and urged law enforcement to intensify efforts to arrest her, noting that justice is incomplete until Guo is found.
Alice Guo has refused to attend several hearings at the Senate. Currently, authorities have yet to successfully issue a Senate arrest warrant for Guo.