Guo cohort, 53 others face human trafficking complaints

GOVERNMENT authorities on Tuesday filed qualified human trafficking charges against Katherine Cassandra L. Ong and 53 others for their alleged participation in the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga.

Filed before the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), authorities alleged Ms. Ong and 53 other respondents of being involved in the Lucky South 99 POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty, during a briefing at the DoJ office in Manila City on the same day, said PAOCC and PNP are eyeing to file other trafficking complaints against the respondents.

“This is only the first of many cases we will file against people behind Lucky South 99,” he said in Filipino.

Lucky South 99 was raided earlier this year by law enforcement authorities due to its expired license to operate and alleged human rights violations, such as torture and trafficking.

Ms. Ong’s legal counsel, Ferdinand S. Topacio, did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comment.

Aside from Ms. Ong, other respondents include an official of the now-defunct Technology Resource Center and other Chinese nationals working in POGO, and a Singaporean “big boss” of the Lucky South 99 POGO, who is believed to have helped ex-Bamban Mayor Alice L. Guo escape to Indonesia.

PAOCC Spokesman Winston John R. Casio during the same briefing said they learned this Singaporean national helped Ms. Guo escape to Batam, proof that the Bamban and Porac POGOs are interconnected.

There are 14 victim-complainants in the charge, ten of which are foreigners.

“The foreign nationals you saw earlier were kidnapped and abducted to work for Lucky South 99. Some of them were taken from casinos, loaned money, and when they couldn’t pay, they were forced to work in online gaming,” Mr. Casio said in mixed English and Filipino.

“We confirmed their testimony through an ocular inspection to verify the credibility of the witnesses.”

Ms. Ong is also facing 87 counts of money laundering filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), National Bureau of Investigation, and PAOCC last month.

AMLC lawyer Adrian Arpon said in a Senate hearing last week that Ms. Ong, along with Ms. Guo and her siblings, is facing a penalty of at least seven years in jail and as much as 14 years per count. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana