TARLAKENYO (Dec. 12, 2025) — Prison officials have firmly denied reports that Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, is receiving preferential treatment following her transfer to a state correctional facility.
The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) issued separate statements yesterday rebutting allegations of unauthorized visits and privileges granted to Guo, who was recently convicted of qualified human trafficking and sentenced to life imprisonment.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. dismissed the “circulating rumors” as baseless. He clarified that Guo, along with her two convicted co-accused, Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon and Jaimielyn Santos Cruz, is currently undergoing a mandatory five-day quarantine after being transferred from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology on Dec. 6.
“Only her lawyer has been permitted to visit her twice, as per normal protocol,” Catapang stated.
CIW Chief Superintendent Marjorie Ann Sanidad echoed this, asserting that no special privileges or unauthorized arrangements have been extended to Guo or any other person deprived of liberty.
The officials were responding to media reports suggesting Guo—identified in court records as Guo Hua Ping—had received visits over the weekend from individuals who were not her lawyers or Chinese embassy representatives. Other reports claimed she may have obtained a personal cellphone shortly after arrival.
CIW management stated these claims contradict standard procedures, noting that all detainees in the quarantine zone are prohibited from receiving visitors except their accredited legal counsel.
Transfer and Processing
Guo and her co-accused were officially received at the CIW in Mandaluyong on Dec. 5. Following their transfer from the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory, they were immediately escorted to the facility’s Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC).
The RDC serves as the mandatory processing unit for all new commitments, beginning with the quarantine period. This initiates a comprehensive 60-day assessment, which includes psychological, sociological, and vocational evaluations. The results will determine their final security classification and permanent assignment within the institution.
Due to their life sentences, their permanent assignments are expected to be within the CIW’s Maximum Security Camp.
With their transfer to the national penitentiary now complete, the protracted legal spectacle surrounding Guo has concluded, marking the start of a life sentence under the authority of the Bureau of Corrections.
