Dismissed Mayor Alice Guo is suspected of acting as an "agent of influence" for POGO interests.
An intelligence official described dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo as an "agent of influence" as the Senate tried to wrap up its hearing on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) on November 26, 2024.
Asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros on whether National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) has determined if Guo is a spy, Deputy Director General Ashely Acedillo testified that available intelligence suggests the former Bamban mayor is acting as an agent of influence.
"Within historical context, given that these activities have been common especially during the Cold War, the activities and the facts that have come to light so far in this committee and other committees especially in the House [of Representatives], point to the fact that she is [an agent of influence]. And even in discussions within the intelligence community, there is a consensus that indeed she is an agent of influence," NICA Deputy Director General Ashley Acedillo said, as reported by GMA News Online.
The National Bureau of Investigation earlier said that Alice Guo’s fingerprints matched with a certain Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping. Acedillo pointed out that he cannot categorically confirm if Guo is a spy.
“It requires a determination of fact. Meaning, the intelligence agency to which that trained her, employed her, and supervised her, or controlled her, either confirms or an officer of that agency confirms the existence or the fact rather of Ms. Guo Hua Ping being their agent,” Acedillo said, as reported by the Inquirer.
Guo did not attend the Senate hearing as it conflicts with a hearing at the Pasig Regional Trial Court. The Senate initially requested for Guo and 5 others to be allowed to attend but a judge denied the appeal, according to ABS-CBN News.
The controversial mayor is currently facing a non-bailable charge of qualified human trafficking for allegedly conspiring to allow an illegal POGO in her town.
Read related article: AMLC to Probe Banks Linked to Guo, POGO Money Laundering
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