Cassandra Ong at large, says Gatchalian
MANILA, Philippines — Cassandra Ong, one of the key suspects in the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) scandal in 2024, is on the run, according to Sen. Win Gatchalian on Friday, November 21.
Gatchalian, who was sponsoring the budget of the Department of Justice at the Senate, informed Sen. Risa Hontiveros that Ong was released from the House of Representatives’ detention when the 19th Congress ended and the 20th began. At that point, she did not have a case, said the senator.
“Unfortunately, the case was filed when she was already released. Now she has a case at the RTC (Regional Trial Court) Branch 157 of Pasig. This is the human trafficking case involving the Lucky South 99 compound in Porac,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.
Gatchalian said that Ong is being searched by the police. The Bureau of Immigration also verified that there is no record that Ong has left the country yet.
However, any attempt should be barred by a hold departure order, he said.
The concern, however, is that she would exit the country through backdoor means, Gatchalian said.
Ong, alongside other POGO figures Alice and Shiela Guo, was caught evading Philippine authorities by escaping to Indonesia during the height of the offshore gaming probes.
Hontiveros expressed concern that Ong might disappear again.
“It’s going to be Alice Guo Part 2,” Hontiveros said.
The POGO scandal was one of the most vital investigations of 2024. What began as a probe into human trafficking in POGOs led to suspicions of a Chinese spy ring within the country.
Following the POGO series, a law banning offshore gaming in the Philippines has been passed, with Guo recently being convicted of human trafficking.
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