PAGCOR's Tengco: Police said Cassandra Li Ong in Singapore

Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the Philippine offshore gaming operator raided in Porac, Pampanga may have already left the country, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Alejandro Tengco has said.

In the latest episode of The Mangahas Interviews, Tengco adverted to information that Ong may already be in Singapore.

“’Yun ang sabi ng mga kapulisan kahapon… May impormasyon ang law enforcement agencies natin na siya ay nasa Singapore,” Tengco told journalist Malou Mangahas.

(That is what the police said yesterday. Law enforcement agencies have information that she is already in Singapore.)

Ong is among the people listed on the immigration lookout bulletin order released by the Department of Justice. The list also includes suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her brother due to possible involvement in human trafficking activities.

Tengco has said that it was Ong who was accompanied by former presidential spokesman Atty. Harry Roque in July 2023 to discuss the POGO firm Lucky South 99's  "problems" with PAGCOR's billing.

He said Roque and Ong asked him to give the POGO firm a chance to pay their arrears for six months amounting to around US$500,000, which they said they already paid through Dennis Cunanan. Their payments were not received by PAGCOR.

Tengco said Roque and Ong asked for the POGO firm license's reapplication as it was set to expire then.

He said the former presidential spokesperson was also named as the head of Lucky South 99's legal department based on the POGO firm's organizational chart which was submitted for their license reapplication.

“Ang sabi ni Secretary Roque, sinamahan niya lang si Cassy dahil kliyente niya at gusto niya tulungan. Whether he is a personal lawyer, whether he is a lawyer of Lucky South 99, and lawyer of the company he was saying that Cassy owned, di ko na alam ang katotohanan,” Tengco said. 

(Secretary Roque said he was there to help Cassy as his client. Whether he is a personal lawyer, whether he is a lawyer of Lucky South 99, or a lawyer of the company he was saying that Cassy owned, I don’t know the truth.)

“Nadinig natin siya. N'ung mag-submit si Lucky South 99 ng reapplication ng lisensya, dun sa attachment nakalagay ang pangalan eh…Kung di niya pinahintulutan ang paglalagay nun, siguro hindi na ako ang dapat sumagot nun,” he added. 

(We heard him. When Lucky South 99 reapplied for a license his name was on the organizational chart but if he did not authorize that, that is not for me to answer.)

Appearing in a Senate hearing last week, Roque maintained that he was never a lawyer for Lucky South 99 or any POGO firm in the country.

"I maintain as an officer of the courts and under oath before the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines that I have never acted as legal counsel for Lucky South 99 or for any other POGO," Roque said.

He explained that he only accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong to the meeting with PAGCOR in July 2023 because Whirlwind Corporation, the lessor of the land where the POGO firm was built, is one of his clients.

As to the statement of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission that it will include Roque in its investigation into the presence of two foreigners at a house in Tuba, Benguet that was raided in connection with alleged POGO, the former spokesman said he would "fully cooperate.".

PAGCOR disapproved the reapplication of the Lucky South 99's license due to several violations as found in their internal findings. 

“We did not approve the renewal…because of internal findings by our security law. Mayroong nakita na parang mga gadgets na dapat wala don. Nakita rin namin na ang kanilang mga director ay parang mga dummy lamang.. Di na namin nirenew.. Lucky South 99 does not have a valid PAGCOR license,” Tengco said.

(We did not approve the renewal…because of internal findings by our security law. We saw some gadgets there and their directors seemed like dummies. Lucky South 99 does not have a valid PAGCOR license.)

Roque had told a Senate committee that he only accompanied Ong to the meeting with PAGCOR because Whirlwind Corporation, the lessor of the land where the POGO firm was built, was a client.

Ong is reportedly the corporate secretary of Whirlwind.

Roque said Whirlwind was a service provider of Lucky South 99.

In maintaining that he is not connected to Lucky South 99, Roque questioned the credibility of the organizational chart of the POGO firm to PAGCOR.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros pointed out that it was part of "due diligence as a lawyer" to check the documents submitted to PAGCOR since the matters discussed during the meeting were related to Lucky South 99. —NB, GMA Integrated News