The Court of Appeals (CA) has denied former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s appeal to be released from imprisonment.
In her appeal, Guo argued that her arrest and detention by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) were illegal.
In a decision dated October 5, CA maintained that Guo was not being held in the custody of the BI, contrary to what the former mayor had claimed in her appeal.
The appellate court clarified that Guo’s arrest and imprisonment were carried out pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 167, following her conviction for qualified human trafficking in connection with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in her town during her term as mayor.
The CA also noted that Guo’s camp failed to present arguments or evidence showing that her constitutional rights had been violated during the proceedings in her case.
It can be recalled that Guo was arrested in Indonesia on September 3, 2024, after leaving the Philippines despite facing criminal charges and an arrest warrant.
After being deported back to the Philippines, Guo faced trial in six separate cases.
In November 2025, Guo was convicted of human trafficking and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Aside from her involvement in illegal POGO operations, Guo’s identity also became a major controversy after it was established that she was a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, despite declaring herself a Filipino citizen when she ran as a mayor of Bamban.