The controversy surrounding wanted Filipino mayor Alice Guo has taken another dramatic turn, with government officials alleging that she fled the Philippines in July. Guo was mayor of the town of Bamban in Tarlac province and is at the centre of a mystery that began in March when officials a compound in the town and found about 1,000 workers, including victims of human trafficking, along with luxury villas, high-end cars, and expensive cognac. Investigators at the eight hectare (20 acre) compound said they also found a panic room and three underground tunnels – an escape route for those wanting to evade the authorities.
The tunnels led to a vacant land plot owned by Guo, alleged the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). Guo had owned 50% of Baofu, the compound where the criminal operation was taking place, though she says she had sold it prior to becoming mayor. She has also said she had sold the vehicle that was found at the premises during the raid.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in relation to Guo’s departure that “heads will roll”. He said a full-scale investigation into how she could have left was already under way, and “those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”. The presidential office has also her passport to be cancelled.
Guo’s current whereabouts are uncertain. Earlier, there was confusion over Guo’s birth certificate, which was not registered until she was 17 and displayed c.