THE House of Representatives has transferred Katherine Cassandra Li Ong to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City after she was cited in contempt by the lawmakers for the second time last week for lying during their ongoing investigation into the proliferation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) under the Duterte administration.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Ong, who is tagged as the authorized representative of raided Lucky South 99, a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, was transferred last Wednesday from the House of Representatives’ detention center.
The House quad committee ordered the 24-year-old Ong transferred to the CIW after serving her first 30-day contempt penalty for snubbing the panel’s summons.
Ong was again cited in contempt last week for giving false testimony about her educational background after Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), a co-chair of the joint panel, questioned her claim of attending Alternative Learning System (ALS) classes either in 2016 or 2017.
The quad comm, which is set to hold another hearing today, is looking into the illegal POGO operations and their connections to various illicit activities, including money laundering, human trafficking, and drug smuggling.
Last August 23, Ong was arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia, alongside Shiela Guo, the purported sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who is also allegedly involved in illegal POGO operations in her town.
Both were immediately deported to the Philippines.
Ong was handed over to the NBI and subsequently transferred to House custody.
Meanwhile, Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday backed the quad committee’s hearings, saying the House will not allow evil to rule the country.
“The congressional-wide inquiry – now known by our people as the quad comm – aims to uncover the truth, identify the perpetrators of those illicit activities, obtain justice for the victims and their respective families, and most importantly to ferret out the deficiencies and flaws in our existing laws, and legislate appropriate remedies,” Romualdez said in his speech before the House adjourned session on Wednesday night.
“Criminals have no place in our society, and we are leaving no stone unturned to preserve the peace and security in our country. Inuulit ko: Walang puwang ang mga kriminal sa ating lipunan. Hindi natin papayagan na mag-hari ang mga panginoon at alagad ng kadiliman at kasamaan sa ating bansa (I repeat this: There is no place for criminals in our society. We will not allow lords and servants of darkness and evil to rule our country),” he added.
