Senate to take custody of Guo's companions for August 27 probe

The Senate will take custody of Shiela Guo, sister of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, and Cassandra Ong of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. since they will be facing its probe on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-related crimes set next week.

The statement was signed by Senate spokesperson Arnel Jose Bañas and issued Friday, a day after Shiela and Cassandra arrived in the country after they were flagged by Indonesian authorities.

“The Senate is prepared to receive Shiela Guo, the sister of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her companion, Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. and Corporate Secretary of Whirlwind Corporation, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) that are the subjects of investigation in Porac, Pampanga, for the scheduled hearing on Tuesday, August 27, 2024,” the Senate said.

“Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Roberto Ancan said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has assured the Senate that the duo will be made available for the hearings and will be responsible for bringing them to and from the Senate. Guo and Ong will be turned over to the Senate after the inquest proceedings, and the Senate is looking forward to their presence in the proceedings,” it added.

The August 27 probe will be led by the Senate committee on justice and human rights, chaired by Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Ill, as the primary committee, with the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality led Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros and the Senate committee on public services chaired by Senator Raffy Tulfo being the secondary and tertiary committees, respectively.

“The hearings will provide an opportunity for Guo and Ong to present their statement and contribute to the ongoing discussions and investigation,” the Senate said.

House leaders also said on Friday that the House will work on having custody of Ong, who also has a standing contempt order in the House over repeated failure to appear in the ongoing House inquiry on POGO-related crimes.

“The authorities know that she (Ong) has a standing contempt order here in the House. So, the proper way to do it is to turn it over to the House for detention because we will need her presence in our continuing inquiry on illegal POGOs,” House dangerous drugs panel chairperson and Surigao del Norte lawmaker Ace Barbers said.

“But if criminal cases are filed against them, then perhaps, the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) would have to detain them. What we are after here is that we should be able to request her presence in Congress so she can say her piece here,” he added.

House committee on public order and safety chairperson and Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez said that placing Ong under the House’s custody is the legal way to do things given that charges are yet to be filed against her.

“We are not fighting over custody. We’re just trying to point out that the legality of the jurisdiction of her person must be established. The lawyer of Cassandra Ong is already asking why she is being detained when there is no case filed yet. That will put the Department of Justice in a precarious situation,” Fernandez said.

“On the part of the House, we are more than willing to accommodate Cassandra Ong because we have cited her in contempt way back in August 7,” he added.

It was Hontiveros, in a privilege speech, who broke the news that former mayor Guo already left the country way back in July. 

It was later learned that Guo was with her sister and Ong when she left the country. 

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. earlier said that heads will roll over Guo’s escape. 

Former mayor Guo is facing scrutiny in the Senate since she was one of incorporators of Baofu Land Development Inc., the owner of the land where the raided POGO hub in March was located.

During the said raid, around 600 Filipinos and foreigners were rescued.

The former mayor maintained that she is not involved in POGO-related crimes, saying the accusations were exaggerated, if not erroneous.—AOL, GMA Integrated News