House to take into custody POGO incorporator Cassandra Li Ong

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has issued an order to take into custody and detain Cassandra Li Ong, one of the incorporators of the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub Lucky South 99, based on a standing contempt order against her for failing to show up to a House joint inquiry on illegal POGOs.

The order was issued hours after Ong and Shiela Leal Guo, sister of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's sister, were taken into custody in Indonesia. They were intercepted by authorities after arriving from Singapore on a cruise ship. 

During its first inquiry last week in Bacolor, Pampanga, the House quad-committee—a large panel investigating illegal POGOs and the illegal drug trade—cited Ong and several other witnesses in contempt for failing to attend the hearing. 

The order to detain Ong for up to 30 days was signed by four committee chairpersons. It reads:

In view of the attached Contempt Order issued by the Joint Committee composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order & Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts on 16 August 2024 against KATHERINE CASSANDRA LI ONG and pursuant to the authority of the Speaker, under Rule IV, Section 15 (i) to sign all acts, resolution, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoena, you are hereby ordered to TAKE INTO CUSTODY and DETAIN KATHERINE CASSANDRA LI ONG for contempt of the House of Representatives for a period of thirty (30) calendar days at the House of Representatives, Quezon City.

Prior to the arrest, the Bureau of Immigration had sought the help of Indonesian authorities to track the movements of Ong and the Guo sisters, according to Sen. Raffy Tulfo in a statement on Thursday. 

Ong and Guo were arrested by Indonesian Immigration officers at Mega Mall Batam Centre in Riau, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

Alice Guo, who was initially with them, was not apprehended and is believed to have escaped. Reports indicate that Alice Guo left for Malaysia on July 19, arrived in Singapore on July 21, and went to Indonesia on August 18.

Both Guo and Ong will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by 5 p.m. Thursday, Tulfo said.

To recall, it was Ong who former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque accompanied to the office of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chairperson Alejandro Tengco in July 2023 to help fix the financial issues of Lucky South 99, the POGO hub in Pampanga that authorities say were engaged in human trafficking, torture and scams.

 — Cristina Chi