An ex-mayor accused of spying for China and having ties with criminal syndicates has fled the Philippines, stirring fury.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Wednesday that “heads will roll” after officials admitted Alice Guo had left the country undetected one month ago and travelled to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Mr Marcos said her departure “laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes the people’s trust”.

Ms Guo has been out of public view since July when a Senate panel investigating her alleged links to scam centres and online casinos ordered her arrest for refusing to testify in its enquiry.

She is accused of allowing human trafficking syndicates and scam centres to operate in her town by masquerading as online casinos. Senators have also accused her of being an operative or spy for China, citing her “opaque” answers to questions about her Chinese parentage.