THE Justice Department said that the preliminary investigation into the qualified human trafficking case – a non-bailable offense – filed against embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and several others will start today, July 5.
“No one will be spared from this investigation, heads will roll once we find probable cause to do so,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a media advisory.
The complaint was filed by the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) against Guo, on accusations linking her to alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in her town.
Apart from Guo, former Technology and Resource Center deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, a Chinese national named Huang Zhiyang, and several other individuals implicated in the operation of a POGO hub in Bamban face similar charges before the DOJ.
Investigation showed that shortly after midnight on March 13, 2024, law enforcers implemented several search warrants against Zun Yuan Technology, a POGO operating in Bamban, Tarlac, resulting in the arrest of several foreign nationals found within the premises, as reported by abogado.com
Cases for trafficking in persons were filed against them and are now pending before the Regional Trial Court of Tarlac, Branch 66.
During the investigation, probers allegedly gathered sufficient evidence linking Guo, supposedly also known as “Guo Hua Ping,” Cunanan, and other respondents to shady POGO operations, that included illegal drugs, prostitution, kidnapping, online scams, among others.
