The Nationalist People’s Coalition has removed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo from its roster of members following the latter’s alleged involvement in human trafficking of foreign workers for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

In a letter dated 22 June, NPC chairman Vicente “Tito” Sotto III approved the request of Tarlac Governor Susan Yap to expel Guo, who has been slapped with preventive suspension by the Office of Ombudsman due to several administrative complaints.

“The NPC will not tolerate any unlawful acts or any appearance of impropriety by its members that will undermine the principle of our party,” Sotto said in the letter addressed to Yap.

“[A]fter due consultation with the leaders and members of our party and considering the gravity of charges and ongoing investigations against Mayor Guo, I hereby order the removal of Mayor Alice Guo from the roster of members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition,” he added.

Sotto said he would be directing our NPC Secretary General Mark Leandro Mendoza to implement the said order and immediately inform Mayor Guo of her removal from the party.

Based on the letter, Yap petitioned for the removal of the embattled local chief executive from the roster of members of the political party on 17 June.

Guo, who was said to have only emerged in 2022, ran under the party for the mayoralty race in the town of Bamban, Tarlac.

The local chief executive is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman due to a graft case filed against her by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Aside from this, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission also filed a qualified human trafficking case against Guo, linking her to the grand conspiracy to commit labor trafficking of around 500 foreigners to work for a POGO.

The mayor has been suspected of being a Chinese spy following her failure to account for where she had gone to school and other details of her personal life and upbringing.