Screengrab of Erik Matti’s Instagram post
MANILA, Philippines — A House of Representatives official has clarified that Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, the Whirlwind Corporation stakeholder who appeared before the Senate on Tuesday, was not visited by any hairdresser while in detention.
According to a report from House Sergeant-at-Arms retired police Maj. Gen. Napoleon Taas, as relayed by Secretary General Reginald Velasco, only Ong’s legal team and friend visited her while she was detained at the House premises.
Taas said the House allows personal care services such as haircuts, but Ong has not requested for one.
“Please be informed that since 26 August 2024 when the custody of Ms. Cassandra Li Ong was transferred to the HRep by the NBI, she has only been visited almost exclusively by her legal team. She received a visit from a friend once (last 14 Sept. 2024), to bring her clothing and personal necessities,” Taas said, as per Velasco’s message to INQUIRER.net.
“Although personal care services such as haircuts are allowed upon approval of the Committee that ordered the detention, Ms Ong has not requested the services of a hairdresser to date,” he added.
Questions about Ong’s hair and appearance stemmed from observations by filmmaker Erik Matti, who posted on his Instagram account a photo of the Whirlwind incorporator while attending a Senate hearing earlier.
Matti asked how Ong, who was detained at the House premises after the quad-committee cited her for contempt for skipping hearings, was able to find time to get her hair dressed.
Ong was seen sporting mild curls — different from how she looked when she testified before the quad-committee.
“Di ba naka detain ito sa Congress up to now? And kalalabas lang ng ospital? Paano nangyari at nakapagpakulay at nagpakulot pa?!!! At saan niya ginawa yan? Sa loob ng Congress? Home service?!!!” Matti said in his Instagram post.
(Isn’t she detained at the Congress up to now? And she was discharged recently by a hospital? How did it happen that she had her hair colored and curled up? How did she do that? Inside Congress? Home service?)
After Matti’s post, netizens have also taken notice of the difference in Ong’s hairdo.
But Taas noted that Ong’s hair color, a slight red hue, was the same when she was brought to the House.
According to the House official, a logbook and closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage is available for the public to check Ong’s visitors.
“This office maintains a comprehensive logbook of all visitors and activities of our detainees, which verifies that Ms. Cassie has not availed of any hairdressing services while in the detention facility. Furthermore, we have CCTV recordings that may be made available for viewing, to validate the visitors of Ms Ong,” Taas said.
READ: Inconsistencies in Ong’s birth papers questioned at Senate probe
“As to her appearance at the Senate Hearing today, we cannot speculate as to how she was able to style her hair to bring out the curls but her hair color has been the same since she started serving her detention,” he added.
READ: Cassandra Ong: Alice Guo neither my friend, biz partner
Ong was asked to attend the Senate’s hearing on illegal activities in the Pogo hub in Bamban, Tarlac, which was linked to dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo.
But previously, in her testimony at the House, Ong said that she is not friends with Guo, noting that she knew the former Bamban mayor only through her boyfriend, Wesley Guo, who is Alice’s brother.