MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives’ “quad comm” has cited Cassandra Ong, tagged in a Pampanga Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO), in contempt.
During the mega-panel’s inquiry on Friday, August 16, Surigao del Sur 2nd District Representative Johnny Pimentel moved for the issuance of contempt against Ong for her failure to attend legislative inquiries. The quad comm immediately approved the motion and issued the contempt order against Ong.
In pushing for the contempt, Pimentel noted that during the House panel on public order’s hearing on July 31, they already issued a show-cause order against Ong for her absence.
Later in the hearing, House panel on public accounts chairperson and Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Paduano moved to detain Ong within the House premises for 30 days, following the contempt order. The mega-panel immediately approved the motion.
What follows an issuance of contempt is an arrest order to detain the person cited by the chamber. The country’s legislative chambers have the power to order the arrest and detention of individuals who are cited in contempt. Among the offenses include uncooperativeness during legislative hearings or absence in probes, as in the case of Ong.
As of June, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said it was still on the lookout for Ong.
The House mega-panel has been formed earlier this month to probe the links among illegal POGOs, Chinese syndicates, illegal drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the country. The quad comm is composed of the House panel on dangerous drugs, human rights, public accounts, and public order and safety committee, which had previously and separately probed the issues.
Ong, known either as Cassy Ong or Cassy Li, has ties with Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga. She also recruited former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to lawyer for Whirlwind Corporation, the real estate firm that leased its land to Lucky South. Back in June, authorities said the Lucky South 99’s POGO hubs were hotbeds for various illicit activities including human trafficking, forced labor, and various scam activities.
Rappler has learned that it was Ong who applied for the POGO’s Letter of No Objection (LONO) with Porac city hall. LONO is a requirement by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation for the establishing of a gaming site in the country, like POGOs.
Bank secrecy waived
Lucky South 99’s corporate secretary Ronelyn Baterna said on Friday that she was “used” by Chinese to issue checks on behalf of the POGO. She said Ong was the one behind the said transaction.
In last week’s hearing, Baterna frustrated lawmakers due to her inconsistent answers to their queries as the panel was looking into her alleged involvement with the Porac POGO. She was cited in contempt and was ordered detained for 30 days.
Earlier, Baterna said she was just an employee who was asked by the human resource officer of their company to be Lucky South’s corporate secretary in 2022. She accepted the job, she said, because her salary will increase from P17,000 to P23,000 a month. Baterna’s statement on Friday was completely opposite from her tone in the previous hearing because she earlier claimed she did not know the owners of Lucky South.
On Friday, Baterna was also asked if she is willing to sign a waiver for bank secrecy. The Lucky South’s corporate secretary then said she would agree to execute the said waiver, thus allowing the mega-panel to review her bank transactions.
Passed in the 1950s, the country’s bank secrecy law prohibits the disclosure of or inquiry into deposits with any banking institution and covers “all deposits of whatever nature with banks or banking institutions in the Philippines.”
There are exceptions to the law, such as when the depositor signs a waiver, cases of impeachment, or upon orders of a court in cases of bribery or dereliction of duty of public officials. – Rappler.com