MANILA — Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo pleaded not guilty to qualified human trafficking charges on Friday.

Guo’s legal counsel, Atty. Nicole Jamilla, appeared at the arraignment before Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 167, while Guo participated via videoconference.

Jamilla said that Guo had no participation in the allegations made against her. 

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The pre-trial phase is ongoing, with the pre-marking of evidence yet to be completed. 

The case against Guo stemmed from a complaint filed by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). 

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She was accused of involvement with a leasing company that dealt with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, which was raided in March.

Qualified human trafficking is a non-bailable offense. 

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WALTER LONG’S ARRAIGNMENT SUSPENDED 

Meanwhile, the arraignment of Walter Wong Long, a co-accused of Guo in the qualified human trafficking case, was suspended. 

Long's legal counsel, Atty. Christian Vargas, said that they filed a motion to suspend the proceedings, arguing that Long was not included in the preliminary investigation.

“You’re not a respondent in a case pero finile-an ka ng information o kaso sa korte so na-violate na ‘yung right niya to due process doon pa lang,” Vargas said. 

“So nakakatakot ‘to, nakakabahala ‘tong ginawa ng DOJ,” he added. 

As a result, the case was referred back for preliminary investigation. 

Long, a Malaysian national, was arrested earlier this year during a raid at an illegal POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac.

He is detained at the Tarlac Provincial Jail in Dolores, Tarlac City and has been ordered to be transferred to the Pasig City Jail Male Dormitory.

“We’re still waiting for other orders. In fact ‘yung commitment order dito with respect to this case sa 167, hindi po siya inactingan ng judge because suspended nga ‘yung proceeding with respect to Walter,” Vargas said.

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