Senator Risa Hontiveros blatantly said on Tuesday that the controversial Mayor of Bamban Tarlac, Alice Guo, has ties with "criminals".
Hontiveros' claim follows the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) firm, Zun Yuan Technology Inc. (ZYTI) built on Guo's land in Bamban called Baofu Land Development, Inc.
Citing Baofu's 2019 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) documents, Hontiveros said Baofu incorporators included Mayor Guo, Filipino national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, Cypriot national Zhiyang Huang, Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, and Dominican national Baoying Lin.
Zhang Ruijin, according to Hontiveros, was convicted last month for being linked to the reported “largest money laundering case in Singapore.” Meanwhile, Baoying Lin also faces charges.
Ruijn and Lin were reportedly among the 10 people arrested in Singapore in 2023 after a S$2.8 billion (US$2 billion) money laundering probe.
According to a report by Channel News Asia, Ruijin has “$41 million in assets overseas, including shareholdings in a Philippine real estate development company.”
"Ayon mismo kay Mayor, tinulungan daw siya ng mga kaibigan niya para makatakbo sa eleksyon nung 2022. Itong mga kriminal at puganteng kaibigan ba ang sinasabi niya?" the Senator said.
"Kahit pa sabihin niyang nag-divest na siya sa Baofu bago tumakbo, the fact remains: she has ties with these criminals. Kaya ba siya tumakbong Mayor para maprotektahan niya ang mga kaibigan niya?" she added.
Around 800 employees, including around 500 foreigners, of whom 427 were Chinese nationals, were rescued at ZYTI after a raid in March 2024.
ZYTI, whose previous name was Hong Sheng, was also raided in February 2023.
Hontiveros said that the investigation of the case is still ongoing, as it is alarming after discovering that ZYTI is also conducting hacking operations targeting government websites.
The second hearing with Guo is set to be conducted on Wednesday, May 22.
