Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada expressed doubts on the Filipino heritage of Cassandra Li Ong, who appeared for the first time in the joint public hearing of the upper chamber regarding allegations of human trafficking linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Ong, the representative of Lucky South 99 POGO hub in Pampanga, was questioned about particular details in her birth certificate, among other issues, during the Senate hearing on Tuesday, September 17.
The 24-year-old claimed she was born in San Juan and revealed to the committee the names of her parents—Li Xia Ying and a certain Richard. She was unsure about the identity of her father, saying she never had a familial relationship with him.
According to Ong, she was born through the aid of a midwife and was subsequently sent to the Chinese General Hospital in Manila—some seven kilometers away from San Juan. She told lawmakers her family moved to Binondo when she was around two or three years old.
Estrada confirmed through documents presented that Ong was born in the town, but the streets stated are no longer present now. As a three-term mayor of San Juan, he chided her on the address found in the certificate, saying that the area no longer exists today.
“The place of birth indicated in the certificate of live birth is 345 P. Mendoza Street. There is no address or house number in San Juan,” Estrada told her. He also rebuked Ong, saying that her statements were inconsistent with the actual information of streets in the town.
“It seems that the entries in the birth certificate of Cassie Ong are quite questionable. There was neither a manghihilot (midwife named) Rosario Mendez, nor the address stated that was included in the birth certificate,” Estrada pointed out.
The Philippine Statistics Authority confirmed the identity of Ong’s parents. A representative from the agency told the committee that her was mother was pure Chinese, while her father was a naturalized citizen.
Estrada then called the agency to investigate the irregularities on late registration in issuing birth certificates. The agency assured that steps are now being done to do so.
Ong was also scrutinized about her relationship with her godfather, Duanren Wu, who allegedly plays a prominent role in the POGO operations in the country. She earlier admitted at the House Quad Committee hearing that Wu and her mother are like “best friends.”
She denied knowing a certain “Xiao Long,” who was allegedly linked to the Whilrwind Corporation. Ong also denied knowing that Wu is a wanted fugitive in China, but acknowledged that they work together at Whirlwind.
Ong is in a romantic relationship with Wesley Guo, the brother of Alice Guo. She said she is also close with her godfather, who traveled with them.
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