Amid the stories involving the First Couple fueled by a recently surfaced photo which shows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos posing alongside Cassandra Li Ong and other personalities, a figure linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO), Special Envoy of the Philippines to China, Benito Techico, clarified that while the photo is authentic, the narrative being spun around it is entirely false. According to Techico, the picture was taken in November 2020 at a restaurant in Pasay City, long before Marcos assumed the presidency. Techico stressed that the First Couple does not even know Ong, who simply requested a group photo to which the former obliged, a common occurrence in public settings.

Friends of the First Couple also decried the false accusations describing them as baseless and malicious. They insist that it was a casual encounter, where a group of Chinese diners, including Ong, asked for a picture and after the brief interaction, the strangers left, and the First Couple’s group continued with their meal. They further stressed that the image was being spun to serve the interests of those trying to malign the First Couple, dismissing any suggestions of a connection to POGO operations.