House allows Cassandra Ong to testify in Senate

The four House committees jointly investigating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-related crimes have allowed Cassandra Ong, a documented official of POGO firm Lucky South 99, to testify before the Senate on the same subject matter.

“There is a request from the Senate that they invite, that we allow…[that] the Quad Com allow Ms. Cassandra Ong to attend the scheduled committee hearing in the Senate on Monday (September 2). Are there any objections?,” House dangerous drugs panel and Surigao del Norte lawmaker Ace Barbers asked before the conclusion of the 13-hour-long probe on Wednesday.

“Since there are no objections, yes, of course, we cooperate with our counterparts in the Senate.  We will allow Ms. Cassandra Ong to be the resource person of the Senate Committee on Women,” Barbers added.

The House initially received a letter coming from the Senate with regards to the request for the presence of Ong before a Senate inquiry on August 27 at 10 am.

Ong, however, was turned over by the National Bureau of Investigation to the House of Representatives last Monday, August 26, since the House already issued a contempt and detention order in Batasan against Ong for snubbing the ongoing House probe on POGOs.

Inquiry

During Wednesday’s inquiry, Ong told House members that she left the Philippines via airplane thru the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before she went to Malaysia to meet her boyfriend Wesley Guo, the brother of former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, and Shiela Guo who are being investigated for their alleged involvement in POGO-related crimes.

Lucky South 99 is also facing scrutiny, since a raid in July unearthed possible criminal activities in the said POGO firm’s location.

Ong said herself and the Guos traveled to Batam, Indonesia, which later resulted in Shiela and herself being deported back to the Philippines to face a number of charges namely disobedience to summons, obstruction of justice, and violation of Philippine Passport law.

But before Ong revealed the said information, the Quad Com issued a second contempt and a corresponding detention order in Womens Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City for an undetermined amount of time against Ong for her refusal to answer the lawmakers' questions.

The said escalation made Ong yield and provide information, prompting the House members to withdraw the second contempt and corresponding detention order in Womens Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City.

Instead, the first contempt order issued by the House against Ong remained.

This means Ong will be in the custody of the House for the meantime. --VAL, GMA Integrated News