Cassandra Ong last tracked in Japan

MANILA, Philippines — Katherine Cassandra Li Ong – charged with qualified human trafficking for her links to Lucky South 99 offshore gaming hub in Porac, Pampanga – was last tracked in Japan where she moved shortly after her release from detention, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission revealed yesterday.

According to PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio, Japan was Ong’s final recorded destination in the first quarter of 2024 before she dropped off the radar.

Ong had earlier been detained at the House of Representatives for contempt, but she was freed when the 19th Congress ended and transitioned to the 20th.

“That was the last information we obtained—Japan. After that, we have no idea where she went,” Casio said in Filipino at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

Ong was identified as the girlfriend of Wesley Guo, brother of ousted Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who was convicted of qualified trafficking in persons and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Authorities earlier raided Lucky South 99, which allegedly served as a large scam hub that trafficked workers, according to the PAOCC and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In May, a court in Angeles City, Pampanga issued arrest warrants against Ong and several others for qualified human trafficking.

The Bureau of Immigration placed her under an immigration lookout bulletin order, allowing the government to monitor her movements but not arrest her.

Casio said there is currently no information on whether Ong had traveled to countries other than Japan.

“We have to retrace everything regarding her movements,” he said.

He added that the right to travel remains protected unless restricted by law.

“The right to travel is an invaluable human right, but only insofar as nothing prevents you from exercising it,” said Casio.

Casio reported that the government intends to coordinate with Japanese authorities through legal channels to obtain more details on Ong’s whereabouts.

Shocked by the development, Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged the government to cancel Ong’s passport immediately.

Hontiveros said she was stunned to learn that Ong was released from detention despite a prior contempt citation, and disappeared after charges were filed against her and former presidential spokesman Harry Roque before the Angeles Regional Trial Court.

“Aside from the Interpol red notice, the government should cancel the passport of Cassie Ong and her accomplices. She is not a tourist,” Hontiveros said in Filipino.

The senator stressed that authorities must exhaust all means to locate Ong and bring her back to face charges.

“Cassie Li Ong should not escape accountability. She is facing human trafficking charges—this is not a minor traffic violation that can be overlooked,” she said. — Marc Jaysob Cayabyab