Cassandra Ong's grad pic scrutinized at House probe; Dan Fernandez becomes target of jokes

Jose Miguel Dumaual

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — Even a photo showing Cassandra Ong in graduation garb was scrutinized at the House quad-committee&#x27;s Thursday probe into illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and their links to extrajudicial killings and the Duterte administration&#x27;s drug war.Ong, whose citizenship and birth certificate have been the subject of questions in past hearings, was once again quizzed on her educational background, this time with her supposed graduation picture shown to her by lawmakers.&quot;Naki-picture lang po ako diyan,&quot; Ong said, recalling the shoot was actually for graduating students of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and that she was not one of them.According to Ong, she only attended ALS classes &quot;twice or thrice,&quot; and did not finish the program. &quot;Pumunta lang po ako, tapos sakto, may [graduation shoot],&quot; she claimed, noting that she went to a Chinese school in Binondo, Manila.Later in the hearing, the joint committee&#x27;s co-chairperson Rep. Dan Fernandez, whose phone contained the picture shown to Ong, became the target of jokes by his colleagues, as they wondered how he came to be in possession of it.<div>ONG CITED FOR CONTEMPT AGAIN</div>Later in the hearing, the House Quad Committee ordered Ong&#x27;s 30-day detention at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City after citing her for contempt anew for failure to provide specific details about her schooling.Currently detained at the House of Representatives, Ong will be transferred to the CIW after her initial 30-day contempt penalty for snubbing hearings ends on September 26.Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, a co-chair of the Quad Committee, questioned Ong’s claim of completing the Alternative Learning System in 2016 or 2017, noting inconsistencies in her responses about where she attended the program.During the exchange, Paduano was frustrated over her inability to provide specific details about her schooling.“You&#x27;re lying, Ms. Cassandra Ong. Remember, previously you were cited in contempt, and I will once again cite you in contempt for lying,” hetold Ong after she failed to recall basic information about her educational history.Ong claimed that she had difficulty remembering the name of the public school where she allegedly enrolled for ALS, claiming she &quot;forgot&quot; the details.However, Paduano was not convinced. “Kahit sinong tanungin mo dito, alam nila kung saan sila nag-elementary, saan sila nag-high school,” he said.Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop agreed with Paduano, adding, “Ako ang matanda na pero alam ko pa rin kung saan ako nag-graduate ng elementary school. Tapos ikaw, batang bata ka pa, hindi mo alam kung saan ka nagtapos. Anak ng tinapay naman.”Following the exchange, Paduano moved to cite Ong in contempt for the second time.The motion was approved by Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the overall chair of the Quad Committee, with no objections raised.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/18/sual-town-wharf-may-have-been-exit-point-in-guo-escape-paocc-930">READ: Sual town wharf may have been exit point in Alice Guo&#x27;s escape: PAOCC</a></div>Ong is said to be a representative of Lucky South 99, a formerly licensed POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga that was raided by authorities over alleged illegal activities, including torture. She had admitted being the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, but denied she was involved in its illegal POGO operations.Ong, dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, and 34 others are facing money laundering charges before the Department of Justice in relation to their alleged links to illegal POGOs.Ong was placed under the custody of the House of Representatives after her deportation from Indonesia, where she was arrested along with Guo&#x27;s sister Shiela.Less than two weeks after Shiela&#x27;s arrest, Alice Guo was also captured in Indonesia earlier this month. —reports from Jose Miguel Dumaual, Jauhn Villaruel, and Victoria Tulad, ABS-CBN News

Even a photo showing Cassandra Ong in graduation garb was scrutinized at the House quad-committee's September 19 probe into illegal POGOs and their alleged links to extrajudicial killings and the Duterte administration's drug war.

Even a photo showing Cassandra Ong in graduation garb was scrutinized at the House quad-committee's September 19 probe into illegal POGOs and their alleged links to extrajudicial killings and the Duterte administration's drug war.

Cassandra Ong's grad pic scrutinized at House probe; Dan Fernandez becomes target of jokes | ABS-CBN

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Cassandra Ong's grad pic scrutinized at House probe; Dan Fernandez becomes target of jokes

Cassandra Ong's grad pic scrutinized at House probe; Dan Fernandez becomes target of jokes

Jose Miguel Dumaual,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 19, 2024 02:40 PM PHT

|

Updated Sep 19, 2024 11:34 PM PHT

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Casssandra Ong

Dan Fernandez

House of Representatives

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