Cassandra Ong would rather be jailed than attend Senate hearing -lawyer

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio on Saturday said his client, Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga,  said she would rather just be jailed than proceed with the Senate investigation into the supposed escape of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.

"Apela siya, this comes from her, ang  apela po ay hindi na kaya ni Ms. Cassandra Li Ong. 'Kung gusto niyong  ikulong, ikulong niyo na po.' Sabi niya, 'Kahit sa Women's Correctional  [Facility] tatanggapin ko na, huwag lang akong pahiyain niyo sa harap ng milyon milyong mga tao,'" Topacio said at a forum on Saturday.

(Her appeal was that Ms. Cassandra Li Ong could not bear it anymore. "If you want to lock me up, lock me up," she said. "I will accept being detained at the Women's Correctional Facility, just don't embarrass me in front of millions of people.")

Meanwhile, Ong's other counsel, Atty. Raph Andrada, reported that Ong suffered from mental breakdowns following the legislative inquiries.

"At this moment where she was confined already, as you can remember from the last hearing, she suffered very low blood pressure and blood sugar levels, dangerously low, if I may add," Andrada said.

"At that moment that must have been the physical or psychosomatic manifestation of her mental health breakdown problems," he added.

Andrada said the legislative inquiries Ong faced were already "accusatory in nature."

"We can say for certain is the entire experience has certainly been traumatic," he said.

Ong on Thursday skipped the continuation of the Senate investigation into how Guo fled the country.

This comes after the House of Representatives sent a letter dated September 4 to the Senate Subcommittee on Justice and Human Rights informing the panel that they approved the Senate's request for Ong to appear in their hearings.

However, she was "currently unwell and cannot attend" the probe.

During the first hearing last week, senators asked that the House of  Representatives allow Ong to attend their investigation into Guo's alleged escape.

The request was granted by the four  House committees that were jointly investigating Philippine Offshore  Gaming Operator (POGO)-related crimes.

Ong is also the girlfriend of Wesley Guo, Alice's supposed brother.

Ong and Alice's supposed sister Shiela were intercepted by Indonesian authorities and were brought back to the Philippines on August 22.

Sheila is currently detained at the Senate while Ong is in the custody of the House of Representatives. — DVM, GMA Integrated News