THE Court of Appeals (CA) has rejected the petition filed by Cassandra Li Ong seeking to nullify the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) resolution indicting her for qualified human trafficking in connection with the operations of the POGO firm Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
In a seven-page ruling dated June 25, the CA’s Special 13th Division ruled that Ong prematurely brought the case before the appellate court without first exhausting available remedies within the DOJ, such as filing a motion for reconsideration.
“The petitioner’s belief that reconsideration and appeal would have been futile is merely speculative,” the court stated. “Her immediate resort to this Court was unjustified, leaving us no choice but to dismiss the petition.”
Ong, who is the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, argued in her petition that a motion for reconsideration would have been pointless, citing alleged due process violations and what she described as the prosecution panel’s dismissal of her defenses.
She also claimed bias on the part of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, citing his public statements expressing support for the case.
However, the appellate court maintained that Ong had effectively deprived the DOJ, including Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento and Secretary Remulla, of the opportunity to review and potentially rectify any errors committed by prosecutors under their supervision.
The CA further clarified that Remulla’s public trust in his subordinates does not indicate bias or an unwillingness to correct possible missteps. “A superior’s expression of confidence in his subordinates does not amount to a pre-judgment or a waiver of oversight,” the court said.
Ong, along with former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and other respondents, was charged with qualified human trafficking in April 2025.
The Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 118 issued arrest warrants against Ong and her co-accused in May.