Former Philippine Mayor Accused of Spying for China Arrested in Indonesia After Weeks on the Run

A former Philippine mayor, Alice Guo, who had been on the run for weeks after being accused of spying for China, was arrested in Indonesia on Tuesday. Philippine authorities had been pursuing Guo across four countries since her disappearance in July following an investigation into her alleged criminal activities.

Guo is accused of shielding online casinos in her hometown of Bamban, which were reportedly fronts for scam centers and human trafficking syndicates. Despite denying the allegations, Philippine officials are coordinating with Indonesian counterparts to expedite her return to the Philippines.

Guo, who claims to have grown up on a family farm with her Chinese father and Filipina mother, has been accused by Philippine MPs of being a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping and a spy for criminal gangs. The case, which also led to the arrest of Guo’s sister by the Philippine Senate, has sparked outrage and drawn international attention.

Authorities believe Guo evaded border checks in July, traveling through Malaysia and Singapore before being apprehended in Indonesia near Jakarta’s western border. While Philippine Online Gaming Operations (POGOs) are legal, they have increasingly been linked to other crimes. The crackdown on POGO-related crimes intensified under current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who reversed the pro-China stance of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.