The small-town mayor accused of trafficking and spying for China

In early 2022, residents of the rural Philippine town of Bamban, north of Manila, gathered for the mayoral campaign rally of a plucky young woman named Alice Leal Guo. Supporters dressed in pink – their candidate's favourite colour – chattered in anticipation of her arrival. Then came the low thudding of a helicopter rotor, prompting cheers from the crowd. Sitting in the cockpit, Guo – in a pink shirt and a pilot's headset – flashed a smile, waving down at her supporters.

As the helicopter touched down, the crowd broke into a chant: "A-lice Guo! A-lice Guo!"

At 31, Guo's star was rising: with promises of generous subsidies and economic development, all delivered in her signature brassy, upbeat tone, she had galvanised a following in the town which would see her become its first female mayor. But few of those cheering could have predicted that less than three years later, Guo would be behind bars, facing charges of human trafficking and allegations that she was a Chinese spy.

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