Cassandra Ong sought advice, expressed fear before quad comm hearing

Katherine Cassandra Ong, an incorporator of Whirlwind Corp., takes her oath after being presented before the House of Representatives quad-committee to hear her side regarding issues surrounding the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Porac, Pampanga. Whirlwind only leased land to Pogo hub operator Lucky South 99, but several lawmakers believe that Ong is possibly involved in both companies. —Photo from the House of Representatives Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — Whirlwind Corp. stakeholder Katherine Cassandra Li Ong asked for advice and expressed her fears during their conversation before the quad committee hearings, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said on Friday.

Fernandez, in an online interview with reporters covering the House of Representatives, said that Ong called him up when she was required to attend the joint hearing of the committee on games and amusements and the committee on public order and safety regarding Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hubs.

The public order and safety panel that Fernandez heads eventually was named as one of the four components of the quad-committee.

“It was her who reached out. I was actually shocked when she texted, as I did not know how she got my number. But I did not bother asking her because of course all of us, we do not know who has our contact details. So I just decided that maybe a common friend or something like that gave it,” Fernandez said.

“Yes,” Fernandez said when asked if Ong was seeking advice. “Because she seemed, I think she was really scared. Then she said, ‘Cong, how can you help me?’ So I still remember telling her, ‘You know, for us to help you, attend the hearings, be truthful, tell everything you know, and who knows, the whole government will help you.”

According to Fernandez, the quad-committee made a softer stance against Ong, withdrawing the second contempt order that would have had Ong detained at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.

“Although I think the cheque and bank accounts she holds were only named after her, but she is not the one issuing it. Maybe that’s what she did to Ronelyn Baterna too, that after Ronelyn Baterna signs on the cheque, she would give it to Cassie (Ong),” Fernandez said. “Most likely that’s what she did, issuing it, then after signing the cheque, she would no longer place her name there.”

“Because that’s two things, she may be lying or telling the truth, or she is balancing what she can bargain with the government. Those are the things that we have to balance; that’s why we became softer towards her because suddenly she was cooperative. But if she wasn’t, she would have been jailed already in Mandaluyong,” he noted.

During a lighter part of the grueling 13-hour quad committee hearing last Wednesday, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop teased Ong for supposedly having preferential treatment towards dashing lawmakers.

Acop expressed confusion as to why Ong refused to answer questions from Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro but responded immediately to 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez.

In response, Ong said she really did not want to give answers, but the advice of her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, to respond to the queries just coincided with the two lawmakers mentioned.

Before this exchange, Acop also asked Ong if she would be able to discuss issues with Fernandez ahead of the quad committee hearing, saying that it seems the latter knows more than the rest of the panel’s members.

Ong said that she exchanged messages and even had a phone call with Fernandez.

“Once only […] Text and phone call, once lang po,” Ong admitted.

Ong initially refused to answer questions from lawmakers, saying that she was invoking her right against self-incrimination. Eventually, Ong changed her answers, replying with a more direct “I refuse to testify,” prompting Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. to make the motion.

READ: House quad-panel cites Cassandra Ong for contempt anew

READ: After VP Duterte, Rep. Gutierrez also gets Cassandra Ong to speak

But Ong’s tone changed, as she started to answer questions during Gutierrez’ turn to interpellate. Gutierrez — who was one of the few lawmakers who got Vice President Sara Duterte to speak during the deliberations for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) proposed budget for 2025 — managed to get confirmation that Ong worked for both Whirlwind Corp. and Lucky South 99.

Whirlwind Corp., where Ong holds a 58 percent stake, is the company that leased land in Porac, Pampanga, to Lucky South 99, which then set up a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub.

There were hunches from lawmakers that Whirlwind and Lucky South 99 were interconnected — a belief that was confirmed when Ong answered Gutierrez’s queries.