Fugitive Former Philippines Mayor With Alleged Ties to Chinese Syndicates Arrested in Indonesia

A poster showing support for Bamban Mayor Alice Leal Guo in Bamban, a province of Tarlac, Philippines, on July 19, 2024. Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Images

A former mayor who fled the Philippines after being accused of having ties to Chinese criminal syndicates has been arrested in Indonesia, Philippine authorities said on Sept. 4.

Alice Guo, the dismissed mayor of Bamban, north of Manila, was arrested on Sept. 4 in Tangerang near Jakarta, Indonesia, according to a statement by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration.

The bureau stated that Guo is being held by Indonesian police and will be deported to the Philippines soon. The date of her extradition has not yet been confirmed.

“The information has been confirmed by our immigration counterparts in Indonesia, and we are very happy with this development,” Norman Tansingco, commissioner for the bureau, said in a statement.

Guo was charged by Philippine authorities on Aug. 30 with multiple money laundering offenses linked to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Chinese-run gambling firms facing charges of fraud, unlawful detention, and human trafficking.

Investigation Into Guo’s Secret Escape

Guo left the Philippines undetected in July. Authorities said she fled to Malaysia and then headed to Singapore before moving to Indonesia in mid-August, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.

The Philippine immigration department stated that details about how her flight went undetected will come to light after her extradition.

Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sept. 4 thanked the Indonesian government for its assistance in Guo’s arrest and said it is “working closely” to arrange her immediate return to the Philippines.

“The close cooperation between our two governments has made this arrest possible,” Marcos was quoted as saying by the Philippine News Agency.

He said Guo is expected to return on Sept. 4.

Marcos said that an investigation into her escape was underway and warned that all government personnel who aided Guo in fleeing the country “will certainly pay the price.”

Shiela Guo, Alice Guo’s purported sister, and Cassandra Li Ong were intercepted in Indonesia on Aug. 22 and returned to the Philippines. The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation identified Shiela Guo as holding a Chinese passport under the name Zhang Mier.

Shiela Guo told the Philippine Senate on Aug. 27 that she fled the Philippines by boat with Alice Guo and her brother, Wesley Guo, and arrived in Malaysia with them in early July. She said her sister then left them and that she didn’t know where she went next.

Alice Guo was suspended from her role as the Bamban mayor in June after being identified as an owner of the property used by the Zun Yuan Technology POGO complex, which allegedly housed criminal operations.

The case coincides with high tensions between the Philippines and the Chinese communist regime, particularly due to the South China Sea territorial dispute.

Grace Hsing and Lynn Xu contributed to this report.