Investigation is ongoing into the identity of Alice Guo and her links to a compound housing human trafficking victims and offshore gaming operations

Alice Guo was a mayor like no other, say her supporters. At Christmas, she would hand out gifts of ham and spaghetti to local people. When school term started, she would give notebooks and bags to children. She wasn’t from a prominent political family, as is often the case in the Philippines, yet she rose to become the first female leader of the town of Bamban in Tarlac province.

On social media, Guo seemed fun and friendly. In a “day in the life” YouTube video, she showed off her white fluffy pomeranian, revealed her preferred shampoo brand and cheerfully told viewers that her favourite colour is pink – her campaign colour.