Justice department to file trafficking charges vs Guo

Metro Manila, Philippines – Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo will soon face qualified human trafficking charges.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty on Sunday, Sept. 15 said they will file the charges before an appropriate regional trial court next week after they found a “reasonable certainty of conviction based on available records and witnesses.”

Besides Guo, others will be charged as well including her supposed business partner Huang Zhiyang, whom Senator Jinggoy Estrada and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) identified as the “boss of all bosses” of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO).

“Under the present law governing trafficking in persons, individuals who organize an establishment engaged in human trafficking may be held accountable for human trafficking despite not having direct participation in criminal activities such as torture, rape, forced labor and other related acts,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

The charges emanate from the complaint lodged by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the PAOCC, the DOJ said.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla lauded the Supreme Court’s (SC) approval of his request to transfer Guo's cases from a regional court in Tarlac to Pasig City.

"I commend the SC for their unwavering commitment to safeguard the laws of the land in order to avoid the miscarriage of justice, the DOJ vows that we will prosecute these cases with burning resolve and integrity," Remulla said.

Guo has been the subject of a Senate inquiry due to her alleged involvement in POGO-linked crimes.

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Daniza Fernandez contributed to this report.