Cassandra Ong Asks House To “Allow her friend and stay with her” while in Detention

House Assures To Look Into Request of Cassandra Ong Who Suffers from “Severe Mental Breakdown”

Caasandra Ong who is detained due to allegations linking her to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in the Philippines requests the House to “allow her friend and stay with her”.

One of the biggest national issues in the Philippines this year is about the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in the country. Several individuals who are faced with accusations that link them to illegal POGOs were nabbed by the authorities.

Alice Guo
Photo Credit: The Manila Times

Undeniably, the most popular personality linked to the illegal POGO operations is dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo who was arrested in Indonesia. Prior to her arrest abroad, her alleged cohort, Cassandra Ong, and her supposed sister, Shiela Guo, was nabbed in Indonesia.

Cassandra Ong

Ong is being linked to the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in Porac, Pampanga. She denied working the raided POGO hub and claimed that she worked in the company that allegedly leased the building to the illegal POGO.

Cassandra Ong, Ferdinand Topacio
Photo from ABS-CBN News

Cassandra Ong also denied being friends with Alice Guo. According to her, she only knows the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor as the sister of her boyfriend, Wesley Guo. He has yet to be located by the authorities. Previously, Attorney Stephen David claimed that Wesley wanted to surrender to the authorities but it did not happen.

Shiela Guo who claimed that Alice is not really her biological sister previously claimed that she, Alice, and Wesley departed the Philippines by boat. The authorities named Malaysia as the first foreign stop of the Guo siblings.

Currently, Alice Guo is detained at the Pasig City Jai while Cassandra Ong is at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong. Recently, the House panel revealed that Ong has made a request to the House Quad Committee.

Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, in a letter of request read by Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, Ong is suffering from a mental breakdown and depression. She requests the House QuadComm to allow her friend to stay with her during her detention.

“The basis of this is she is suffering from severe mental breakdown and anxiety attacks, and currently in a state of severe depression… I presume it is a lady and the word being used is her friend,” Rep. Paduano said.

According to House Quad Comm overall chairperson and Surigao Del Norte Second  District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, they would look into the request of Cassandra Ong. They said they will talk with the CIW personnel “considering she is under stress and would need a companion inside”. Based on the report, as for Rep. Paduano, he advises the House to grant the request of Ong.

“I-go na natin kaysa naman mag-hearing pa tayo for this matter,” he said.

Ong undeniably gained more prominence after video clips of her and Rep. Dan Fernandez’s interactions during House hearings were posted on TikTok. Cassandra Ong even explained her hair color and style after Fernandez noticed it during the inquiry.

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