Convicted “POGO mayor” Alice Guo is set to be transferred to jail “within this week”, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
Guo, was sentenced to life in prison for human trafficking linked to the operation of a POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) hub run by Lucky South 99.
The former official had fled the country last year but was apprehended in Indonesia and extradited to face trial in the Philippines.
Guo was convicted alongside seven others for running a large Chinese-operated online gambling complex in Bamban, north of Manila, where hundreds of workers were forced to carry out online scams under the threat of torture.
Guo will be transferred along with two other convicted individuals – Jaimielyn Santos Cruz and Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon – undergoing a five-day quarantine before a 60-day orientation period and then entering the regular dormitory at the Maximum Security Camp of the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
While Guo is in custody, other associates, including Cassandra Li Ong, are still at large, with authorities hoping to apprehend them either in the Philippines or abroad. More than 50 people have been charged with human trafficking linked to the Lucky South 99 scam hub, including former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque – for which authorities are requesting an Interpol Red Notice to assist in his apprehension.
Authorities believe Ong is still located in the Philippines despite reports of being sited abroad.
Also linked to the Lucky South 99 case is Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil, who has been released on bail after his arrest on seven counts of graft linked to his supposed failure to regulate Lucky South 99.
The official had surrendered voluntarily after an arrest warrant was issued on November 28th by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
Authorities say that the mayor allowed the POGO to operate despite its gaming permit from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) not being renewed. The official also reportedly failed to inspect the 10-hectare property where Lucky South 99 operated from despite reports of scams, prostitution, torture and more.
