00:00After Alice Guo's conviction, authorities turned their focus to Cassandra Lee Ong, who is now at-large, according to Senator Sherwin Gachalian.
00:09Senator Risa Honteberos, meanwhile, expressed shock on the news of Ong's release.
00:14Luisa Erisbe has the full story.
00:18The plenary was shocked today after it was revealed that Cassandra Lee Ong is now at-large,
00:24even though a warrant of arrest has been issued against her by a court in Pasig Regional Trial Court
00:30for qualified human trafficking related to the illegal operations of Pogo.
00:35During the Senate deliberations for the proposed budget, the DOJ revealed that it has been a while since Ong was released.
00:43Ngayon po si Cassandra Lee Ong, naka-release ho siya.
00:49Actually, nagulat rin ako. Pareho ho tayo nagulat kasi tinututukan ho natin.
00:54Tracking back to how Ong was released, it was December 2024 when Congress lifted the contempt order against her
01:02and was released from detention at the Correctional Institute for Women, or CIW, in Mandalayong City.
01:08But the Senators asked, how can she be tracked down now and arrested?
01:14Nakakabahala talaga na, at ngayon pa, na humaharap na si Cassandra Lee Ong sa kaso sa RTC sa Pasig.
01:22So, paano na po, magiging katulad ba sa sitwasyon ng gobyerno kay Harry Roque na hindi present yung tao para humaharap sa proseso?
01:32Nung nakalabas siya at saka lang na filing kaso, at large siya ngayon.
01:37Sen. Gatchalian spoke in behalf of the DOJ as a budget sponsor and said Ong is being tracked by authorities
01:45and there is a request for the cancellation of her passport.
01:49The Bureau of Immigration, or BI, has no record of her leaving the country yet.
01:54Mayroon na siyang warrant of arrest. Sinahanap na po siya ng ating kapulisan dito po sa, within our jurisdiction.
02:00Attorney Harry Roque is one of the accused in the said case, along with Ong.
02:05As of now, there is a request for the cancellation of his passport and authorities are working hard to arrest him.
02:12At ngayon kay Harry Roque, since wala ho siya dito sa Pilipinas, wala pong jurisdiction ang kuwarte over him.
02:20At dahil po, kailangan ho siyang nandito sa Pilipinas. So yun po ay nakapending rin.
02:27Dahil nga may warrant of arrest na ho siya, so ang kanilang ginawa ay pakansela po yung kanyang passport
02:35para ma-inform po ang Interpol ng Red Notice at ma-aresto siya ng Interpol.
02:44Luisa Erispe from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
