A mayor of a small Philippine town accused of being a Chinese spy has gone into hiding, authorities said.
Police were unable to execute an arrest warrant for Alice Guo during the weekend, because she was not at any known address.
Scam centers were discovered in March in Bamban, the city where Ms Guo lives, hiding in online casinos that target mainland Chinese.
Her story has played out like a TV dramabecause she had also been questioned about her Chinese origins and there were suspicions that she was working as an ‘investor’ or spy for Beijing.
Ms. Guo’s case has gripped the nation Manila and Beijing remain at odds about reefs and outcrops in the South Chinese Ocean.
The Senate last Friday ordered the arrest of Ms Guo and several members of her family after she twice ignored summons to appear at hearings into the scam centres.
“Show yourselves. Hiding will not erase the truth,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is leading the parliamentary investigation into Ms Guo, said in a statement.
Ms Guo denies any wrongdoing, claiming her Chinese father and Filipino mother raised her on their pig farm.
But Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who is part of the investigation, claims that Ms Guo is a Chinese citizen, whose real name is Guo Hua Ping, based on immigration records.
“She is hiding to avoid arrest,” Mr Gatchalian told local radio. “Our tracking teams are continuing to search for her.”
On the day the arrest warrant was signed, Ms. Guo posted a statement on Facebook addressing her constituents and hinting that she would not be attending.
“I’m sorry I can’t be with each of you physically. I miss you all,” she said, adding that her absence would be “temporary.”
In the post, she added that she did not regret joining politics, even though it hurt her so much that she “almost lost myself”.
“I am a Filipino with a big heart for Bamban. I love the Philippines very much,” she said.
Ms Guo’s lawyer, Nicole Jamilla, told local television that her client would “definitely” cooperate with the official investigation.
In addition to the Senate investigation, Ms Guo is also the subject of a separate corruption investigation, which led to her suspension.
The scam centers in Bamban have exposed how online casinos or Pogos (Philippine Online Gaming Operations) are used as fronts for SMS fraud, human trafficking and other criminal activities.
The criminal gangs behind the Pogos have even gone so far as to build hospitals where they perform cosmetic surgery on fugitives who want a new face.
Pogos flourished during the tenure of Rodrigo Duterte, whose presidency, which ended in 2022, was marked by close ties with China.
But under the current president, Ferdinand Marcos, Pogos are being closely monitored.
If proven to be a Chinese citizen, Ms. Guo would not be eligible to become mayor. Only Filipino citizens are allowed to hold elected office.
But her voters don’t care. They benefit from her social outreach programs, which are extensively documented on her social media pages.
Ms Guo has “brought change” to Bamban and people are grateful, resident Erica Miclat told ANC television.
