Alice Guo only paid estimated P20,000 in taxes prior to mayoral post — senator

MANILA, Philippines — Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo only paid around P20,000 in taxes prior to her stint as a local executive, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday, September 12.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, flagged the large amount of money that was deposited from Guo’s bank account from 2017 to 2024, which accumulated to a total of P1.9 billion, 

“Tiningnan namin ang kanyang tax returns, tiningnan namin ang kanyang corporations, walang ganyan na pera na kinikita ang kanyang corporations,” Gatchalian said. 

(We checked her tax returns, we saw her corporations, she does not make that kind of money)

Guo only filed tax returns twice before becoming a mayor. 

“Parang P20,000 lang binayaran niya sa BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue),” Gatchalian said.

(She only paid around P20,000 to the BIR.)  

Gatchalian said that there is no legitimate source of income for Guo, which means that her income was legitimate. 

Guo’s income allegedly came from financiers, POGO operators and money launderers, said the senator. 

QJJ Farms was a similar case. From 2018 to 2024, up to P5 billion entered its accounts despite the business not making a profit. 

Gatchalian said that Guo’s operations made it appear that they have unprofitable businesses, but there was a backdoor income that was used to establish POGO hubs.  

The former Bamban mayor fled the Philippines as more details about her alleged criminal activities were uncovered. However, Indonesian authorities were able to detain her and return her to the Philippines. 

However, she has remained tight-lipped when faced with senators, saying that she could not say anything either because she does not know, she had the right to self-incrimination, or she had a death threat.  

Gatchalian, being one of the senators who probed POGO activities in the Philippines, said that it does not matter if Guo does not speak as the evidence was very strong.  

“Even if she does not speak, we will just show what the evidence says,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.