Former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo has failed to secure her release through a habeas corpus petition after the Court of Appeals (CA) ruled that her detention remains backed by a valid court warrant.
In a resolution dated October 5, the CA said Guo remains detained at the Correctional Institution for Women under a warrant issued by the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC), leaving no new grounds to reverse its earlier ruling.
The warrant was issued by Pasig RTC Branch 167 against Guo and 11 others over alleged violations of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
A writ of habeas corpus allows a person to challenge detention believed to be unlawful. However, the CA found that Guo’s continued detention was supported by the court-issued warrant.
Guo is also serving a life sentence after the Pasig RTC convicted her of qualified human trafficking in connection with an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban. The court ordered her to pay a P2-million fine and forfeited the Baofu Land complex, where the raided Zun Yuan Technology facility operated, in favor of the government.
The trafficking case stemmed from a March 2024 raid that led to the rescue of more than 800 workers. Guo, whose real name is Guo Hua Ping, is also facing a separate tax evasion case.IMT
