The Philippine Senate on Wednesday ordered police to arrest a local mayor with alleged links to illegal gaming operators after she failed to appear before a hearing.
A Senate inquiry had also raised questions about the citizenship of Alice Leal Guo, the mayor of Bamban, a town in Tarlac province. At least one senator accused her of being a Chinese spy, an allegation which she has denied.
Guo’s case has arisen against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing in their territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Various Philippine security officials had also raised concerns that Beijing could be using illegal gaming operations to stir up trouble in the Southeast Asian country amid the maritime row.
