Witness who linked Alice Guo to POGO 'kingpin' may be included in WPP —DOJ exec

A witness who linked dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to Lin Xunhan, the so-called “big boss” or "kingpin" of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, may be included in the Witness Protection Program (WPP), an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday.

“'Yung WPP maaari siyang mapasok doon (the person can be included in the WPP),” Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix "Nicky" Ty said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.

“Depende na ‘yun sa usapin nila ng law enforcement at saka ng mga piskal na nag-i-interview sa kanya (that will depend on the agreement between the witness and the law enforcement and prosecutors),” he added.

According to Saleema Refran’s report on Unang Balita, one of the individuals who formerly worked for Lin or “Boss Boga” saw Guo transacting with Lin.

The witness said they knew Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, as “Madam Wah.”

“Talagang siyang-siya. Nalaman ko na nga lang po nu'ng mayor siya at saka siya si Alice nu'ng nagse-Senate [hearing] na. Personal ko po siyang nakikita kasi nagtra-transaction po sila,” the witness said.

(It’s really her. I only found out that she was a mayor and that she was Alice during the Senate hearings. I personally saw her because they had transactions with each other.)

The witness also said that Lin financed the establishment of the Hongsheng Gaming POGO, which later became the Zun Yuan Technology, in the Baofu Land Compound in Bamban.

“Habang dine-develop namin ‘yung sa Lucky South is siya — kami ang nagfi-finance doon sa may Bamban, Zun Yuan,” the witness said.

(While we were developing Lucky South [99], we were financing the Zun Yuan Technology in Bamban.)

“Nag-aabot po si Boss Boga ng pera kay Madam Wah. Si Madam Wah is nagre-report kay Boss Boga kung ano na ‘yung status ng pagtatayo doon sa Baofu Land. So ‘yun, magka-partner po sila. Mas mataas lang po sa kanya si Boss Boga,” the witness added.

(Boss Boga would give Madam Wah money. And Madam Wah would report to Boss Boga on the status of the Baofu Land. So they were partners. But Boss Boga had a higher rank.)

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) previously said Lin established a network of scam operations or scam farms across five regions after he entered the country in 2016.

Lin operated under the aliases Bogo, Boga, Xiao Long, Apao, Pahao, and Hao Hao as well as utilized a passport and identity under the name Lyu Dong.

Madam Wah

Meanwhile, Ty said the alias “Madam Wah” has cropped up in previous investigations.

“Kung sa alala ko, lumalabas ito doon sa imbestigasyon sa Bamban POGO. At para sa amin, sapat na ‘yun, ano? Kahit naman hindi lumabas sa ibang mga POGO, sapat na ang pagdawit ni Madam Wah at ni Alice Guo sa Bamban POGO para sa kaso laban sa kanya,” he said.

(If I remember correctly, this appeared during the probe into the Bamban POGO. And for us, that is enough. Even if the name doesn’t appear in other POGOs, it is enough to link Madam Wah and Alice Guo to the Bamban POGO in the cases against her.)

Ty said the testimony will strengthen the evidence against Guo and others. Despite this, he maintained that their evidence against the former mayor is already strong.

GMA News Online sought comment from Guo's camp but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

Lin was arrested last week at a residential subdivision in Laguna.

Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court as well as a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint, 87 counts for money laundering, and a perjury and falsification complaint before the DOJ. —KG, GMA Integrated News