INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The detention of Cassandra Ong and Sheila Guo in Indonesia proves the connection between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) operations in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Thursday.
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said earlier that two of Guo’s companions had been arrested in Indonesia.
Remulla confirmed that the detainees are dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s sister, Sheila, and Ong.
READ: 2 of Alice Guo’s companions arrested in Indonesia – Abalos
“Yes, that’s true,” Remulla said in an ambush interview when asked if the detained personalities were the mayor’s sister and Ong.
Asked what the importance of the detention is, Remulla said that it “proves the connection between Bamban and Porac operations.”
READ: Roque: Pagcor chief did not say I lobbied for illegal Pogo firms
Ong has an alleged connection with Lucky South 99, an illegal Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga that was raided last June.
Meanwhile, the embattled mayor is facing a qualified human trafficking complaint for her alleged involvement in Baofu Land Development, Inc. located in Bamban, Tarlac.
Baofu compound, located just behind the Bamban Municipal Hall, housed a Pogo entity raided last March.