CASSANDRA Ong, the documented representative of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) firm Lucky South 99, has been released from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed Friday.
Gatchalian, who is sponsoring the proposed 2026 budget for the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced plenary debates when Senator Risa Hontiveros asked for an update on Ong.
“Currently, Cassandra Li Ong has been released from detention,” Gatchalian said, citing DOJ officer-in-charge Fredderick Vida.
The development came as a surprise to Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, which has been investigating the POGO controversy.
“Mr. President, I was also surprised. We were both focused on this case. I was advised that when Congress went into recess, she was released because detainees are often freed during the transition from one Congress to another,” Gatchalian explained.
Ong was cited for contempt by the House Quad Committee, which is investigating POGO-linked crimes, on September 19, 2024, marking her second citation for allegedly falsifying school records.
She was transferred to the CIW in Mandaluyong City on September 26, 2024, following the approval of her detention by the House committee.
The third regular session of the 19th Congress adjourned in June 2025, with the first regular session of the 20th Congress beginning the following month.
“She was detained in the House, and during the transition from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress, she was released. At that point, no case had been filed. Now, there is a case, qualified human trafficking,” Gatchalian said.
“Unfortunately, because the case was filed only after her release, she is now at large,” he added.
In May 2025, the Angeles, Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 118 issued arrest warrants against Ong and others for qualified human trafficking in connection with the alleged Lucky South 99 scam hub.
The Court of Appeals dismissed Ong’s petition against the DOJ’s indictment in July.