Philippine senate probes mayor's alleged ties to Chinese crime - and her citizenship

MANILA — The Philippine senate threatened on Wednesday (July 10) to arrest a small town mayor for contempt during a hearing investigating her alleged ties with Chinese criminal syndicates, a case that has captivated the nation amid tension between Manila and Bejing.

The arrest threat came after the mayor, Alice Guo, failed to appear for a second consecutive hearing, citing stress.

The case that began in March, when authorities raided a casino in Guo's sleepy farming town of Bamban, has shed light on criminal activity in the mostly Chinese-backed online casino industry in the Philippines.

It gained national attention after one senator questioned whether Guo might not have been born in the Philippines and could even be a Chinese "asset" an accusation she denied.

She has also denied links to criminals, saying she is a natural-born Philippine citizen. Guo did not respond to Reuters' request for comment but wrote to the senate that she was the subject of "malicious accusations".

On Wednesday, the senate cited Guo in contempt for failing to appear and Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is leading the investigation, said she would set in motion steps to get a warrant for her arrest.

"The chair has ruled to cite them in contempt," said Hontiveros, who told a previous hearing that Guo might have actually been born in China and be a Chinese "asset", although she gave no proof.

Raid raises questions

The investigation began after a police raid revealed a scam centre operating out of a facility built on land partially owned by Guo. It was one of many that have sprung up across Southeast Asia in recent years.

The raid uncovered hundreds of trafficked workers including foreign nationals, spurring a human trafficking complaint against Guo