As the Pasig Regional Trial Court convicted former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and three others — sentencing them to reclusion perpetua over human trafficking charges — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian described the ruling as a major victory for the Filipino people.
"The conviction of Alice Guo and her cohorts for qualified trafficking is a big win for the Filipino people, including foreign nationals who have been victimized by various criminal activities perpetrated by POGOs,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Aside from Guo, the Pasig RTC Branch 167 also found Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, Jaimielyn Cruz, and Walter Wong Rong guilty. The court imposed a P2-million fine and ordered the forfeiture of the Baofu compound, the site of alleged scam and POGO operations.
“The rule of law has prevailed, and justice has been served. Her conviction should serve as a wake-up call against Filipinos or foreign nationals alike who seek to take advantage of the bureaucracy to carry out atrocities such as human trafficking and online scams,” Gatchalian said.
He added that the ruling should energize the broader push to eradicate illegal POGO operations in the country.
“Umaasa tayo na ang tagumpay na ito ay lalo pang magpapatibay sa ating batas laban sa POGO at magpapalakas sa kampanya ng ating law enforcement agencies para tuluyang papanagutin ang mga natitirang POGO at iba pang uri ng online scam sa bansa,” according to the lawmaker.