The Court of Appeals 13th Division has dismissed Cassandra Li Ong’s petition to quash and dismiss the qualified human trafficking case filed against her.
In a seven-page decision penned by Associate Justice Pablito Perez, the appellate court ruled that Ong’s explanation for bypassing standard procedures was insufficient and unjustified.
The court questioned why Ong went directly to the Court of Appeals without first filing an appeal or motion for reconsideration with the Department of Justice.
According to the decision, rules require petitioners to exhaust all remedies with the agency that issued the resolution—in this case, the DOJ—before elevating the matter to the appellate court.
“Petitioner’s belief that reconsideration and appeal would have been futile in this case is speculative and conjectural,” the ruling stated. “Immediate resort to this court was unjustified and this court has no other duty but to dismiss the petition.” Ong, representative of the raided Lucky South 99 POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, remains the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Angeles City Regional Trial Court.
