The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, who sought to stop the Senate and House of Representatives from compelling her to testify in congressional hearings on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
In a decision penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez and dated May 6, 2025, the SC En Banc upheld the constitutional authority of Congress to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, affirming that this power includes citing individuals for contempt and ordering their arrest to compel attendance or testimony.
Records showed that the case stemmed from separate 2024 investigations by both chambers into illegal activities linked to POGOs. Ong, who was connected to raided POGO facilities in Pampanga and Tarlac, was invited as a resource person by the Senate and House committees.
During a House quad-committee hearing, Ong initially refused to answer questions, claiming she had been separated from her lawyer. Later, she informed both the Senate tri-committee and House quad-committee that she would no longer attend the hearings, invoking her right to remain silent.
She then filed a petition before the Supreme Court, alleging that the congressional panels had violated her rights against self-incrimination and to counsel, and that they had abused their authority.
However, the Court rejected her arguments, clarifying that the right against self-incrimination can only be invoked in response to a specific incriminating question—not as a blanket refusal to testify. It emphasized that while an accused in a criminal case may refuse to testify entirely, a resource person in a legislative inquiry must still appear and may only decline to answer particular questions that may incriminate them.
The SC further ruled that the right to counsel applies only during custodial investigations of crime suspects, not to individuals invited as resource persons in legislative inquiries.