Freeze Alice Guo's assets says Jinggoy

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada is calling for the freezing of suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's assets amid the ongoing investigation into her alleged involvement in a raided POGO hub in her town in Tarlac.

"The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) should consider studying the possibility of issuing an order to freeze all the assets of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo," Estrada said in a statement on Monday.

"In light of recent allegations and emerging evidence on Mayor Guo, it is imperative that the AMLC take decisive action to safeguard the integrity of public funds, ensure accountability and promote transparency," he explained.

For the lawmaker, this move is a "crucial step in preventing the disposition of purported illegally acquired assets that may be subject to investigation."

"This action should also prompt our authorities to thoroughly investigate the entangling web of illegal activities perpetrated in POGOs," he added.

Earlier this month, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed the need to investigate the possible involvement of Guo in money laundering, noting that the AMLC failed to flag the entry of P6.1 billion money used for the construction of Baofu Land Development Inc., originally owned by Guo.

Gatchalian also highlighted the need for stricter monitoring as he noted that the "criminal activities of POGO have already expanded into money laundering."

During the course of the Senate investigation into the raided POGO hub in Bamban, it was disclosed that Guo has business ties with foreign nationals who were linked to the "largest money laundering case in Singapore."

Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac after several documents showed that she was personally involved in the processing of documents for its operations.

Guo's citizenship was also questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship.—RF, GMA Integrated News