Alice Guo pleads not guilty to human trafficking raps

MANILA, Philippines — Former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo pleaded not guilty to a charge of qualified human trafficking, according to her counsel on Friday, September 27. 

A Pasig City court issued an arrest warrant for Guo and several others for qualified human trafficking. This transferred her from Camp Crame in Quezon City to Pasig City Jail. 

“We pleaded not guilty. Ma’am pleaded not guilty to the crime alleged,” Guo’s legal counsel Nicole Jamilla said in an ambush interview with the media.  

Guo was detained in Camp Crame following alleged threats on her life, which she has consistently refused to publicly divulge. 

In the Pasig City court’s arrest warrant, Guo was scheduled for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. on September 27 via videoconferencing.

Guo faces numerous cases, from several counts of human trafficking to money laundering. She is suspected of feigning a Filipino identity, and eventually becoming a local mayor to further facilitate the illegal activities in connection to Philippine offshore gaming operators. 

The number of cases has created a legal quandary as to who should have custody of her. The Senate initially had the sole right to detain her, as they had already issued a warrant of arrest for her due to her failure to attend their hearings.

For her part, Guo has insisted that she was innocent, and alluded that she was also a victim.