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Guo’s lawyer Stephen David is confident the court commitment order in Camp Crame will prevail
MANILA, Philippines – Before its 13-hour-long hearing ended on Thursday, September 19, the House quad committee ordered to send Cassandra Ong to the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) for 30 days, while fighting to take custody of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
Ong has been detained at the House for contempt, but on Thursday, agitated lawmakers decided to commit her to CIW beginning September 26 due to her lawyer Ferdinand Topacio’s statement that his client would rather be in Correctional “than be humiliated” by the committee.
Ong explained that it was a statement she made to Topacio under stress.
Ong has no court warrant yet, although she faces criminal investigations for human trafficking and money laundering.
This House order came after Ong was cited in contempt for the second time, as her answers on where she went to school failed to satisfy lawmakers.
“Since Miss Cassandra Ong was already cited in contempt, may I move that she be detained at the Correctional Institution for Women,” Antipolo City 2nd District Representative Romeo Acop moved, which was approved after no one objected.
Ong is an officer of the Whirlwind real estate firm that leased its compound to the Lucky South 99 POGO, raided over allegations of trafficking and torture. Ong appears in many documents as the Lucky South representative, but the 24-year-old maintains she was merely a lessor.
The complaints for money laundering allege that Ong was a business associate of Guo, which is a relationship deeper than what both women claim they have. Ong is the girlfriend of Guo’s brother Wesley.
Guo, on the other hand, was cited in contempt again by the House, and as a result, was ordered detained in Batasan. However, this is a complication because the court in Capas, Tarlac (later transferred to Valenzuela) handling her bailable graft charge had already committed her to the custodial center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame.
Guo explained to the committee that not only does she “feel safe” in Camp Crame, she was also advised by lawyers to just wait for the other charges so they could post bail for all at the same time.
Her trafficking charges were filed in a Pasig court this week, and if the judge finds merit to do so, the arrest warrant for that would be non-bailable.
The committee decided to let Guo go back to Camp Crame Thursday night, but lawmakers are expecting her transfer to the House detention facilities after her arraignment in Valenzuela Friday morning, September 20.
Guo’s lawyer Stephen David is confident that rules are on their side that a court commitment order takes precedence. It’s what the Senate followed too when they did not insist to take custody of her.
“Criminal cases take precedence, the one that determines guilt or innocence is the court. The purpose of the House is to compel you to appear, but she will appear anyway,” said David.
David said they will file a motion to lift the detention order on Friday before the House committee and if denied, “we will go to the Supreme Court.”
Asked if he was anticipating a tense tug-of-war between the House and the court over custody on Friday, David said “no because the regional trial court is cognizant of its role to assert its jurisdiction.”
Like Ong, Guo maintains she is only a lessor to the POGO in Bamban, Tarlac. Although she claims she divested from the real estate company when she ran and won as Bamban mayor, the complaint against her alleges that this divestment was fake. – Rappler.com
