MANILA, Philippines – Katherine Cassandra Ong, tagged in the Porac, Pampanga Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO), and the sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo are now under the custody of Indonesian authorities, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed on Thursday, August 22.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said he received a report from Philippine National Police chief General Francis Marbil that two of Guo’s companions were being held by Indonesian authorities.
When asked if the two are Ong and Guo’s sister, Sheila, Remulla told reporters: “Yes, that’s true…. The connection is there. It proves the connection between Bamban and Porac operations.”
Sheila is covered by the Senate arrest order issued by the upper chamber against her and her siblings for snubbing the hearings on POGOs. As to Ong, it was not clear what was the basis of authorities for holding her. Although she was cited in contempt by the House, the latter has yet to issue an arrest order against her.
Santa Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez, House committee on public order and safety chairperson, revealed the arrest of Ong in Indonesia during the House mega-panel hearing earlier on Thursday, August 22.
“Considering the communication that was sent to us as well that Cassandra Li Ong was already in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration of Indonesia. And as a matter of fact, our police attaché and the PNP chief [are] in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration of Indonesia,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez, co-chairperson of the House “quad committee” probing illegal POGOs, extrajudicial killings, and Chinese syndicates, added that Philippine National Police chief Rommel Francisco Marbil and the country’s police attaché are already coordinating with Indonesian authorities to bring her to the Philippines.
Ong, known either as Cassy Ong or Cassy Li, has ties to the Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga. She also recruited former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to lawyer for Whirlwind Corporation, the real estate firm that leased its land to Lucky South. Back in June, authorities said the Lucky South 99’s POGO hubs were hotbeds for various illicit activities, including human trafficking, forced labor, and various scam activities.
When Philippine authorities reported dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo’s departure from the Philippines, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said that Guo met with her father Guo Jian Zhong, mother Lin Wen Yi, her brother Wesley Ong, and Ong in Singapore. Like Ong, Guo faces a string of allegations due to her alleged POGO ties.
The House mega-panel, also known as the “quad comm,” probes the links among illegal POGOs, Chinese syndicates, illegal drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the country. Ong never appeared in the legislative hearings, so she was cited in contempt by the House last week. – Rappler.com
