Ombudsman dismisses Bamban town mayor from service

More than two months after being put on suspension, Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been officially dismissed from office by the Office of the Ombudsman after finding her guilty of grave misconduct.

In a 25-page decision made public on Tuesday, the Ombudsman ordered Guo's dismissal, forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and her perpetual disqualification from reentering public office.

The Ombudsman ruled that the "series of acts" made by Guo in relation to the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town merely indicated a "willful intent on her part to violate the law or disregard established rules."

Guo, suspected as a Chinese asset, is allegedly the president of Baofu Land Development Inc., an approximately eight-hectare compound behind the Bamban Municipal Hall, allegedly hosting POGO compound in Bamban.

The embattled Bamban town mayor previously admitted to owning at least 50 percent of Baufo's stock but claimed that she divested such interest through a Deed of Assignment before she assumed office in 2022, to which the Ombudsman said was non-existent.

"Needless to stress, when respondent Guo started to discharge her duties and responsibilities as Municipal Mayor, she remained to be the real, true, and actual President of Baofu Land Development, Inc., and stands to benefit from the continued operations of Hongsheng and Zun Yuan," it said.

"This is a clear conflict of interest. The element of corruption, willful intent to violate the law... are all quite evident. Guo must be held liable for the same," the Ombudsman added.

To recall, Baofu hosts Zun Yuan Technology and Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., which were raided by the authorities earlier this year for alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention and fraudulent cryptocurrency investment operation, respectively.