MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, May 21, welcomed the decision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to strip Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo of supervision over local police, citing her ties to “criminals.”

Hontiveros cited two of Guo’s fellow incorporators of Baofu Land Development: Chinese national Zhang Ruijin who was convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case in April; and Dominican Republic national Lin Baoying, who faces charges in the same case.

According to a Straits Times report in October 2023, Zhang and Lin were “domestic partners.”

Hontiveros said Guo, Zhang, and Lin were listed in Baofu’s 2019 Securities and Exchange Commission documents as incorporators, along with Filipino national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, and Cypriot national Zhiyang Huang.

“Given her connections to criminals, I welcome the DILG’s move to remove Mayor Guo’s power over the local police. Dapat wala nang access si Mayor sa ating kapulisan kung siya pala ay protektor din ng mga kriminal (The mayor should have no access to our police if she is also a protector of criminals),” the senator said in a statement.

Baofu Land Development leased its 7.9-hectare property to Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Zun Yuan Technology which was raided by Philippine authorities in April. Guo had said in a Senate hearing that she owned 50% of Baofu but that she had divested her shares ahead of her 2022 mayoral bid.

“Ang daming red flag ni Mayor Alice Guo. Wala na ngang maayos na record sa Pilipinas, may mga koneksiyon pa sa mga kriminal. Is this why she is able to afford her lavish lifestyle? Galing ba sa mga kriminal at pugante ang pambili niya ng chopper at mga luxury cars?” Hontiveros said.

(Mayor Alice Guo has so many red flags. She has no proper records in the Philippines and she also has ties to criminals. Is this why she is able to afford her lavish lifestyle? Did she get the money to buy a chopper and luxury cars from criminals and fugitives?)

Quoting a Channel News Asia report, Hontiveros said Zhang has “$41 million in assets overseas, including shareholdings in a Philippine real estate development company.”

According to a Straits Times report on Tuesday, Lin faces 10 charges in Singapore in relation to the $2.8-billion money laundering case, and her lawyer informed the court that “he will be seeking a date for her to plead guilty.”

The report said Lin’s charges include “using forged documents and possessing benefits of criminal conduct.”

Help from her friends?

“Ayon mismo kay Mayor, tinulungan daw siya ng mga kaibigan niya para makatakbo sa eleksiyon noong 2022. Itong mga kriminal at puganteng kaibigan ba ang sinasabi niya?” Hontiveros said.

(According to the mayor, her friends helped her in running for the elections in 2022. Was she referring to these criminals and fugitives?)

Hontiveros said Guo cannot be delinked from Lin and Zhang just because of her divestment from Baofu prior to her 2022 mayoral bid.

“Kahit pa sabihin niyang nag-divest na siya sa Baofu bago tumakbo, the fact remains: she has ties with these criminals. Kaya ba siya tumakbong mayor para maprotektahan niya ang mga kaibigan niya? I am looking forward to our hearing on Wednesday. Sana naman may maalala na si Mayor,” the senator added.

(Even if she says that she divested from Baofu before she ran, the fact remains: She has ties with these criminals. Did she run for mayor so she could protect her friends? I am looking forward to our hearing on Wednesday. I hope the mayor will already remember things.)

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality will hold a joint hearing with the committees on migrant workers and public order and dangerous drugs on Wednesday morning, May 22.

It was during the Senate panels’ May 7 hearing when senators grilled Guo not only about her alleged connections to two raided POGOs in her town, but also on her personal background, as she had no public records pertaining to her education and medical history, among other matters.

The Office of the Solicitor General has launched a probe and created a team to investigate Guo, while the DILG has recommended her preventive suspension. – Mia M. Gonzalez/Rappler.com