DOJ files human trafficking case against ex-Mayor Guo and POGO bosses

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to file a qualified human trafficking case this week against former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her alleged business partners.

Among those charged will be Huang Zhiyang, the POGO 'big boss,' along with other foreign nationals Ma The Pong, Wang Weila, and Lang Xu, all of whom have been apprehended in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) facility in Bamban, Tarlac.

The Supreme Court has approved the transfer of these cases from Regional Trial Court Branch 66 in Capas, Tarlac to the Pasig Regional Trial Court in Metro Manila due to national security concerns and the need for judicial integrity.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla requested Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to move criminal cases numbered 9855-9857 from the local court to NCR on April 22, citing an amendment in Republic Act 9208 that implicates organizers of establishments involved in human trafficking.

The DOJ is confident in the evidence against Guo and her associates and will prosecute these cases with integrity under RA 9208, which carries no bail and is punishable by life imprisonment.

Guo's camp has yet to issue a statement regarding the impending filing of the human trafficking case.