Cassandra Li Ong’s last confirmed location was in Japan early this year, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Saturday said.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Ong was last traced to Japan during the first quarter of the year, shortly before a warrant for her arrest was issued.
“That was the last update we got – Japan. After that, we have no idea where she went,” Casio said.
Casio said investigators now have to “backtrack everything” related to Ong’s movements, with no confirmed information on her whereabouts since her last recorded departure.
Ong has an active warrant of arrest for qualified human trafficking issued by the Pampanga Regional Trial Court in May.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier disclosed that Ong was released during the transition from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress while in detention at the House of Representatives and is now at large.
Ong is facing qualified human trafficking charges tied to the operations of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing, Inc., a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga where authorities previously rescued workers alleging torture, forced labor, and illegal detention.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros urged authorities to cancel Ong’s passport as soon as possible.
“Cassie Ong should not be allowed to go scot-free. She has a human trafficking case, not a minor traffic violation which can be shrugged off,” she said.
“Aside from an Interpol red notice, the government should also cancel the passport of Cassie Ong and her conspirators,” Hontiveros added.
