Philippines Gets ‘Chinese Spy Mayor’ Arrested In Indonesia

Posted by: Eninu William in World news September 4, 2024

A former mayor in the Philippines who was on the run for weeks after being accused of spying for China has been arrested in Indonesia. Philippine authorities have been pursuing Alice Guo across four countries.

This is ever since she disappeared in July following an investigation into her alleged criminal activities.

She has been accused of protecting online casinos, which were a front for scam centers and human trafficking syndicates in her sleepy pig-farming town, Bamban.

Ms Guo denies the allegations. Philippine officials said they were coordinating with their Indonesian counterparts for her return to the Philippines “at the soonest possible time”.

The former mayor said she grew up on the family farm with her Chinese father and Filipina mother.

However, MPs who investigated the scam centre operations accused her of being a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping. They also said she is a spy who provided cover for criminal gangs.

The dramatic nature of her case, which has since seen her sister arrested and questioned by the Philippine Senate, sparked fury in the country and drew international attention.

How she escaped from the Philippines:

Authorities believe that Alice Guo slipped past border checks in July. She took several boats, crossing neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, on her way to Indonesia. This is where she was arrested on Tuesday on the western border of the capital Jakarta.

While online casinos or Philippine Online Gaming Operations are not illegal, they are increasingly being exposed as cover for other crimes.

The firms, which mostly cater to mainland Chinese clients, flourished under former president Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte sought close economic and political ties with Beijing.

However, his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, reversed the country’s foreign policy direction. He has cracked down on Pogo-linked crimes since assuming office in 2022.

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