Cassandra Li Ong, a key figure linked to the shuttered Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga, fled to Japan early this year after she was released from detention, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Saturday.
PAOCC spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio said their tracking team last traced Ong to Japan in January, a development now central to efforts to locate her after she resurfaced as a wanted figure in the ongoing human trafficking case tied to the controversial POGO hub.
“That was the last we got — Japan,” Casio said. “After that, we have no idea where she went.”
Casio added that the confirmed sighting occurred in the first quarter of 2025, around the same time a court-issued arrest warrant against Ong was released between March and May.
Ong’s movements have drawn renewed scrutiny after Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian revealed that she had been freed during the transition between the 19th and 20th Congresses — a period when no criminal case had yet been filed.
She was among three individuals — including former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and her alleged sister Sheila Guo — apprehended by Indonesian authorities in August 2024 as “suspicious foreigners.” They were deported to Manila to face immigration-related complaints, including illegally exiting the country after allegedly bypassing official ports.
Despite her detention in the Philippines, Casio said no hold departure order was in place when Ong left the country for Japan.
“We have to backtrack everything when it comes to her movement. Japan is the last known location we have,” he said.
Ong is now the subject of an active arrest warrant issued by the Pampanga Regional Trial Court for qualified human trafficking in connection with the alleged scam activities linked to Lucky South 99 — a case in which former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is also named as a co-accused.
Casio added that an Interpol Red Notice has been issued, and PAOCC is coordinating with local and international law enforcement agencies to track her down.