The long-awaited conclusion to the case of Alice Guo, the former Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, has finally arrived, yet the verdict may signal the start of a far more dangerous battle.

On November 6, 2025, the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) delivered its final judgment: Alice Guo, along with seven co-accused, was convicted of qualified human trafficking.

The sentence handed down was Life Imprisonment, immediately transferring Guo to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.

The verdict included hefty fines and damages to be paid by each of the accused per count, in addition to significant reparations for the victims.

Furthermore, the RTC ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to permanently cancel the registration of Baofu Land and Development Inc.

Crucially, the court mandated the forfeiture of the PHP 6 billion Baofu compound assets to the government—a clear victory against illicit activities.

However, it is not the life sentence that should be Alice Guo’s greatest concern. A disturbing report suggests that the former Mayor’s life is now in jeopardy, linked to the fate of a Chinese gambling kingpin turned alleged spy.

To understand the connection and why Alice Guo’s safety is now severely compromised, we must examine the recent fate of Shiji Jiang.

The Kingpin Who Refused the Mission

In November 2025, Reuters reported that Thailand had extradited Shiji Jiang back to China. Jiang was a prominent Chinese businessman known for his extensive, yet largely illegal, ventures, including online gambling operations that targeted Chinese billionaires.

Jiang’s activities had made him a long-time target of Chinese authorities, forcing him to move frequently across Asia. He reportedly visited the Philippines 21 times between 2011 and 2020.

The dramatic turning point occurred in 2016 when a Chinese Ministry of State Security agent confronted Jiang in a hotel with an arrest warrant.

The agent quickly diverted the conversation, offering Jiang a way out: all charges would be erased if he agreed to become an operative for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Jiang accepted what was termed an offer he “could not refuse.”

Initially, Jiang was not told the specifics of his mission. Following their meeting, all records of the charges against him mysteriously vanished.

He was provided with new identity documents, a new name, and papers granting him Cambodian Citizenship—effectively transforming him into a seemingly legitimate businessman in the Golden Triangle.

In 2018, Jiang was even included among Chinese delegates and businessmen investing in the Philippines, alongside other high-ranking officials.

The true nature of his mission was eventually revealed: Jiang was not meant to spy in Cambodia or Thailand, but to establish himself as a legitimate businessman before being inserted into Taiwan as an intelligence asset.

Jiang refused the assignment. He learned too late that becoming a spy for the CCP is a lifelong commitment with no possibility of retreat, and his refusal earned the Party’s intense wrath.

The Public Downfall and the Warning

Within weeks of his refusal, the Chinese Foreign Ministry publicly declared Shiji Jiang wanted, exposing his alias and linking him to a litany of severe crimes, including human trafficking, torture, illegal gambling, and racketeering.

In August 2022, Jiang was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, based on a warrant issued directly from China. His public downfall effectively neutralized him as a threat to the CCP’s security operations.

Sanctions were later imposed on Jiang by the United Kingdom in 2023 for his involvement in human trafficking, cementing his image as an international criminal.

Before his forced extradition to China, Jiang made a final, desperate public statement. He claimed the real reason China pursued him was not his crimes, but his extensive knowledge of their espionage operations.

He specifically and publicly named a fellow CCP asset in the Philippines: Alice Guo, the former Mayor of Bamban.

Jiang provided a dossier of documents, claiming they proved Alice Guo was not Filipino but an operative from Fujian.

His final words were a stark warning: he told Alice Guo to look at what happened to him and, if she wished to avoid “elimination,” she needed to reveal the full truth to the world.

Jiang believed that if he were returned to China, his loss of life was certain, as he possessed too many secrets about the Party’s operational tactics and recruitment methods. His nightmare has now become a reality with his extradition.

The Danger to Alice Guo

The current situation poses an immense threat to Alice Guo. Like Jiang, she is believed to hold explosive secrets regarding Chinese espionage networks within the Philippine government.

The CCP is determined to prevent Alice Guo from “singing” and exposing their assets. Until she is either permanently silenced or returned to China, she remains a severe risk to their operations.

This fear is amplified by recent arrests. Reports from January 2025 indicated the arrest of five Chinese nationals suspected of spying on vital Philippine military and naval bases using drones and high-resolution cameras.

In February 2025, two more Chinese nationals were apprehended for allegedly using IMSI catchers—devices capable of intercepting texts and communications—near the Presidential Palace, the US Embassy, and military camps.

These arrests highlight that the espionage threat is legitimate and widespread.

Shiji Jiang’s warning suggests that the CCP cannot allow its operation to be jeopardized by a compromised asset.

The former Mayor’s life is in serious danger. Any attempt by Alice Guo to disclose the true extent of the infiltration—which government branches have been compromised, who the collaborators are, and the Party’s ultimate agenda—would cause a major national security crisis.

The lesson here is profound: while the life sentence against Alice Guo is celebrated, the chapter is far from closed. The Philippines must remain vigilant, recognizing that the battle for national security continues even with the accused behind bars.

The CCP will undoubtedly do everything to ensure Alice Guo does not reveal their secrets, proving the old adage: If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.