A COMPLAINT for qualified human trafficking was filed yesterday before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Katherine Cassandra Li “Cassy” Ong and 53 others in connection with the illegal operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga raided earlier this year by authorities.
In the complaint, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) accused Ong, the alleged authorized representative of POGO hub Lucky South 99, and the other respondents of violating RA 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
Qualified trafficking in persons is a non-bailable offense.
Ong fled the country in July amid separate congressional hearings on the operation of Lucky South.
Ong and the Guo sisters – Shiela and dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice — have been apprehended by Indonesian authorities on separate occasions in Indonesia and turned over to Manila.
Aside from Ong, also named as respondents in the complaint were Ronalyn Baterna, Lucky South’s corporate secretary; Singaporean national Zhang Jie, Lucky South’s president; Han Gao, another authorized representative of Lucky South; Xiang Tan, a Lucky South incorporator; Chinese national Duanren Wu, one of the directors of Whirlwind Corporation; and Dennis Cunanan, a former official of the Technology Livelihood Resources Center.
John Does and Jane Does were also named as respondents for their participation in Lucky South’s scam farm in Porac, Pampanga.
The complaint centered on allegations of human trafficking in the raided POGO facility.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said the complaint is supported by the affidavits of 14 witnesses from the POGO operations, including 10 foreign workers.
On the other hand, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Prosecutor Ramoncito Ocampo said: “Ang mga foreign nationals, ito ‘yung mga kinidnap, in-abduct para mag-trabaho 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 (The foreign nationals were the ones who were kidnapped, abducted, to work for Lucky South 99. Others were made to work in Lucky South 99 for online gaming when they can no longer pay their casino debts).”
For his part, DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said the huge number of respondents was due to the fact that POGO operation is a complex one, starting from the creation of the companies in question.
“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 (The union of Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind Corporation is not an ordinary business. Our fiscals and the complainants say this is a criminal enterprise. This is a criminal enterprise through and through. They have not done anything good. From the very start, they have illegal plans),” Ty said.
Ty said the DOJ will run after everyone who has a contribution or a part in the creation of the “criminal enterprise.”
To recall, the PNP-CIDG and PAOCC have also filed human trafficking complaints against Alice Guo and more than a dozen others over the operation of a raided POGO hub in her town.
The DOJ said the complaint has been submitted for resolution, even as Guo has called on the department to junk the case.
