Cassy Ong cited in contempt anew; detention at correctional jail extended

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KATHERINE Cassandra Li Ong will have to spend more time at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City after the House quad committee cited her in contempt once again for failing to submit pertinent documents related to her alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and its criminal activities.

The panel chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, during its hearing held from Tuesday morning until past 2 a.m. Wednesday, cited Ong in contempt for failing to submit bank records and other documents from Whirlwind Corporation, the company that owns the building of Lucky South 99, the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

The quad committee is looking into the illegal operations of POGOs and their connection to various illicit activities, including money laundering, human trafficking, and drug smuggling.

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The 24-year-old Ong, who had been transferred to the CIW from her detention at the House, has repeatedly denied being an incorporator of Lucky South 99, saying she was working for Whirlwind Corp. which only leased its land and buildings to the POGO facility. Ong owns a 58 percent share in Whirlwind.

The joint panel cited Ong in contempt on the motion of Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), one of the chairmen, after the committee was informed that its previous contempt order against Ong will end today.

Congressmen initially wanted to extend the previous contempt order’s effectivity but later decided to just cite Ong in contempt for the fourth time, with the latest detention order lasting until the requested documents are presented to the committee.

Ong has already admitted that Whirlwind’s big boss is Duanren Wu, her godfather, who is a former Chinese police officer.

Ong was cited in contempt last month, her third one, for giving false testimony about her educational background when Paduano questioned her claim of attending Alternative Learning System (ALS) classes either in 2016 or 2017.

Last August 23, Ong was arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia, alongside Shiela Guo, the sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who is also allegedly involved in illegal POGO operations in her town.

Ong and Shiela Guo were immediately deported to the Philippines and Ong was handed over to the NBI and subsequently transferred to House custody.

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco has earlier revealed that former spokesman Harry Roque, who remains in hiding after being ordered arrested by the quad committee, lobbied for Lucky South 99 in July 2023 when he accompanied Ong when she visited his office to discuss the firm’s unpaid arrears amounting to $500,000.

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