SENATOR Risa Hontiveros was “shocked” upon learning that Cassandra Li Ong, alleged associate of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, had been released from detention and is now at large.
Hontiveros questioned how Ong could have been freed despite ongoing scrutiny of the case, highlighting procedural lapses that left her puzzled and concerned.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, on behalf of the Department of Justice as the sponsor of its budget, explained that Ong was released during the transition from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress while in detention at the House of Representatives.
“Unfortunately, because the case was filed only after she was released, she is now at large. She now faces a human trafficking case at Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 157 involving the Lucky South 99 compound in Porac,” Gatchalian explained.
He said Ong was released prior to the filing of charges, adding that Ong was detained in the House and not in the Senate at the time.
With a warrant of arrest now issued, law enforcement agencies are actively seeking Ong to ensure she appears before the court.
The DOJ has placed a hold departure order on Ong and is moving to cancel her passport to prevent her from leaving the Philippines.
The Bureau of Immigration reported no record of Ong exiting the country, though authorities remained alert to potential backdoor escape routes.
“I am extremely concerned. Here in the Senate, we are very careful to ensure that when we have people in detention, every effort is made to make sure that once an investigation and case build-up start, especially when the executive initiates judicial proceedings, the person is present to go through the proper process,” said Hontiveros.
She warned that mishandling detained witnesses could jeopardize ongoing investigations and judicial processes, citing lessons from Alice Guo’s past escape.
Gatchalian gave assurance that enforcement agencies are taking all measures to ensure Ong faces judicial proceedings in Pasig and does evade justice.
“We don’t want Cassandra Li Ong to have an Alice Guo Part 2, just in case,” Hontiveros stressed.
