MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives quad committee has freed Cassandra Ong, the 24-year-old Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) worker tied to the alleged scam hub in Porac, Pampanga, who has been detained for almost four months now over contempt charge.
The quad committee ordered to lift the contempt charge against Ong late night Thursday, December 12, as it wrapped its last hearing for the year. Ong had moved to lift the charge citing mental health problems due to being incarcerated at the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW), a facility for convicts.
“I just signed earlier an order addressed to the CIW to release her, so maybe tomorrow (she will be freed),” quad committee chairperson Representative Ace Barbers told reporters past 10pm Thursday.
Ong is a key figure in the POGO network of Porac, Pampanga and the similarly raided scam hub in Bamban, Tarlac linked to dismissed mayor Alice Guo, but she has stuck to her denials throughout the hearings. Documents show Ong acted as representative for the POGO licensee in Porac, and a registered officer of the leasing company. She’s also been described as some sort of a middle manager there. Her boyfriend is Guo’s brother.
But Barbers said “wala na kaming makukuhang iba pang information (we can no longer extract more information from her) and what she has said before the committee is sufficient enough for us to write our committee report.”
Ong was transferred to the CIW end of September as part of a strategy to make her squeal more details about her bosses, with offers of witness protection. She maintained to the end that she was not a dummy. She faces multiple complaints of human trafficking and money laundering, all still pending before prosecutors.
Without a resolution on those, she will regain freedom until and unless she is charged and then ordered arrested like Guo.
The committee also lifted the contempt charge on Tony Yang, the eldest brother of Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser Michael Yang, and said to be the architect of a shady Chinese network, However, Yang will continue to be detained on immigration charges. He had earlier been granted medical furlough.
The committee lifted some more contempt charges, except the one against Duterte’s former spokesperson Harry Roque who still has not surfaced ever since the House ordered him arrested. Roque has confirmed he is abroad, and signed his counter-affidavit from the United Arab Emirates.
Barbers said the contempt charge against him will last until their hearings terminate. They will resume hearings next year mid-January.
Roque faces complaints too for human trafficking and money laundering for his role in the Porac POGO – having helped Ong set up meetings with the (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to renew its gaming license.
Barbers said the committee still vetting one more witness to add to their information on POGOs, but could not reveal more details.
“It’s an entirely new information, so we’re trying to assess and probably a witness will come out,” said Barbers. – Rappler.com