Mayor accused of being Chinese spy on the run in Philippines, senators call for widespread hunt

From being praised for her policies to being hunted for being a Chinese spy, a mayor in the Philippines has seen her fortunes plunge lately.

Alice Guo, the Mayor of Bamban town, is on the run as she faces allegations for being a spy of China.

Guo has an arrest warrant against her and the police could not execute it as she has gone into hiding, according to BBC.

The warrant was issued by the Philippines’ Senate after she ignored two summons to appear before it. Now, two senators have called for a widespread search for Guo that includes not just the senate’s security service but all law enforcement agencies in the country with police powers.

The case against Guo is related to scam centres being uncovered in her town which functioned under the cover of online casinos and catered to Chinese, according to the report, which added that she has also been questioned for being a Chinese asset.

The incident of Guo is unfolding at a time when the Philippine and China are going through a tense phase as Beijing continues to ramp up belligerence in the South China Sea. Just last month, Chinese coast guard personnel attacked naval personnel from the Philippines. As for the case concerning Guo, the casinos in the Philippines have long been under the scanner for facilitating espionage and other illicit activities at the behest of China.

Alice Guo faces multiple probes

In addition to the probe over scam centres, Guo is also facing corruption case that has already led to her suspension, according to BBC.

The scam centres that she has been allegedly associated with have been used as a cover for text scams, human trafficking, and other criminal activities, according to the report.

It has also been reported that criminal rings operating in the cover of these tainted casinos have gone to the extent of running hospitals that provide cosmetic surgeries to fugitives so they can get new faces and escape the cases against them.

Guo, who has Chinese parentage, also has her nationality under question. If found guilty, then she would be ineligible to hold public office.

‘All agencies need to team up to find her’

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has called for an all-hands-on-deck approach to hunt Guo.

“All government agencies with police powers need to team up in order to find Guo,” said Estrada, according to Philipine Daily Inquirer.

The newspaper further quoted Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as making a similar call.

Gatchalian said, “The operations to find her are ongoing. That’s why my recommendation to our security office is to expand [their efforts] and tap other enforcement agencies like the Bureau of Immigration as well as the National Bureau of Investigation. The Senate has collaborated and partnered with other enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police.”

Gatchalian further said that Guo is within the country as there are orders to stop her from leaving the country and, if she tries to leave, she would be stopped by immigration officials.