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Cassandra Li Ong, representative of Lucky South 99 POGO, confers with her lawyer AttorneyFerdinand Topacio during the House of Representatives quad committee hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, the crimes linked to illegal drugs, as well as in POGOs on August 28, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Cassandra Li Ong, representative of Lucky South 99 POGO, confers with her lawyer Ferdinand Topacio during the House of Representatives quad committee hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration and crimes linked to illegal drugs and POGOs, August 28, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172595102475920240828-ong-cassandra-topacio-house-hearing-JC-3.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="white-space:pre-wrap">Cassandra Li Ong, representative of Lucky South 99 POGO, confers with her lawyer Ferdinand Topacio during the House of Representatives quad committee hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration and crimes linked to illegal drugs and POGOs, August 28, 2024. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></span></div><div> </div><p>MANILA —  Authorities filed a qualified human trafficking complaint on Tuesday against Cassandra Li Ong and 53 others before the Department of Justice in relation to Lucky South 99, the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) raided in Porac, Pampanga.</p><p>The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) lodged the complaint before the Department of Justice.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/5/cassandra-ong-misses-senate-probe-after-being-hospitalized-1205" id="isPasted">READ: Cassandra Ong misses Senate probe after being hospitalized</a></div><p>Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, and other respondents were accused of violating Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.</p><p>DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty identified Whirlwind Corporation executive Duanren Wu, Lucky South 99 corporate secretary Ronalyn Baterna, former president Stephanie Mascarenas, and representative Dennis Cunanan among the other respondents.</p><p>Ty also mentioned Singaporean national Zhang Jie, former president of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing.</p><p>&quot;Napag-alaman natin na siya din tumulong kay Alice Guo para makapag billet sa hotel doon sa Batam. Isang pagpapatunay lang ito na interconnected ang mga organisasyon ng Porac at saka ng Bamban,&quot; PAOCC Spokesperson Winston Casio said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/9/estrada-chinese-pogo-boss-facilitated-alice-guo-s-ph-escape-2153">Estrada: &#x27;Chinese POGO boss&#x27; facilitated Alice Guo&#x27;s PH escape</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/9/guo-says-someone-initiated-her-escape-expresses-regret-1530">Guo says someone &#x27;initiated&#x27; her escape, expresses &#x27;regret&#x27;</a></div><p>Authorities said the over 10 witness-complainants, who are mostly foreign nationals, were trafficking victims in the POGO hub in Porac.</p><p>&quot;Ang mga foreign nationals na nakita niyo kanina, ito yung mga kinidnap, inabduct para magtrabaho sa Lucky South 99. Yung iba doon kinuha sa mga casino, pinautang, nang hindi na makabayad dinala sila doon sa Lucky South at pinag trabaho sila sa online gaming. Masaya sila narescue sila,&quot; Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Prosectuor Ramoncito &#x27;Sonny&#x27; Ocampo said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/15/paocc-to-file-non-bailable-criminal-charges-vs-alice-guo-1303" id="isPasted">RELATED: PAOCC to file &#x27;non-bailable criminal charges&#x27; vs. Alice Guo over POGO ops in Bamban</a></div><p>Casio said there were many victims in Lucky South 99, but those included in the filing of this complaint were the ones with &#x27;heinous&#x27; experiences.</p><p>&quot;We could not have all of them as witness-complaints. So yung 10 sila yung medyo mas karimarimarim yung pamamaraan ng pambibiktima. Kasi yung deception was very glaring. Pinapautang, they were being prodded na mangutang ng mangutang sa casino for the purpose actually ibebenta sila sa Lucky South 99,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Ito yung matagal na naming sinasabi na yung Lucky South 99 kaya po notorious yan within the POGO community because sila yung pinakamalaking mamimili ng tao. They buy people from yung mga nalululong sa casinos,&quot; Casio added.</p><p>Ty said there are were dozens of respondents in the complaint because its scope was very wide, starting from the creation of the companies in question.</p><p>&quot;Itong union ng Lucky South 99 at ng Whirlwind Corporation, hindi ito pangkaraniwang negosyo. Isa sa mga sinabi ng piskal natin at ng mga complainants natin, itong negosyo na ito ay criminal enterprise ito. Criminal enterprise through and through. Walang mabuting ginawa ito. Umpisa palang nung ginawa na siya, iligal na plano niya. In fact, yung pagkagawa niya iligal. Buong pagkatao ng unyon na ito ay criminal. Kaya sobrang daming nadawit dito, Lahat ng taong may kontribusyon sa pagbuo nito ay dawit,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/9/-lying-alice-guo-cited-in-contempt-anew-as-senate-seeks-custody-1231" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(93, 155, 192);text-decoration:none;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">READ: &#x27;Lying&#x27; Alice Guo cited in contempt anew as Senate seeks custody</a><br/><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zuWGuzNOHyM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><br/></div><p>In June, the PAOCC and PNP-CIDG filed a human trafficking complaint against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, and several others linked to the POGO hub in her town.</p><p>Ty said the complaint had been submitted for resolution. Guo&#x27;s camp asked the DOJ to dismiss the said complaint.</p><p>Authorities on Monday filed 32 boxes of additional supporting documents at the DOJ for the money laundering complaint filed against Guo and others.</p><p>Ong was also among the respondents in the money laundering case because of a &quot;possible connection in the money trail&quot; between the Bamban and Porac POGOs.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/9/-lying-alice-guo-cited-in-contempt-anew-as-senate-seeks-custody-1231" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(93, 155, 192);text-decoration:none;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">READ: &#x27;Binalahura mo ang sambayanan&#x27;: Alice Guo faces fuming senators after escaping probe</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/9/alice-guo-refuses-to-share-details-of-alleged-death-threats-1155" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(93, 155, 192);text-decoration:none;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">READ: Alice Guo refuses to share details of alleged death threats</a><br/><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/5/amlc-alice-shiela-guo-may-face-up-to-1-218-years-in-prison-for-money-laundering-1808" id="isPasted">READ: AMLC: Alice, Shiela Guo may face up to 1,218 years in prison for money laundering</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lau46C_5A68?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Authorities on Tuesday filed a qualified human trafficking complaint against Cassandra Li Ong and 53 others before the Department of Justice in relation to Lucky South 99, the raided POGO in Porac, Pampanga.</p>

Authorities on Tuesday filed a qualified human trafficking complaint against Cassandra Li Ong and 53 others before the Department of Justice in relation to Lucky South 99, the raided POGO in Porac, Pampanga.

Human trafficking raps filed vs Cassandra Ong, others over illegal POGO

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Human trafficking raps filed vs Cassandra Ong, others over illegal POGO

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 10, 2024 03:01 PM PHT

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Qualified human trafficking

Lucky South 99

Cassandra Li Ong

Department of Justice. Alice Guo

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