Cassandra Li Ong, a key figure linked to shuttered Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator Lucky South 99, has resurfaced in headlines after revelations that she is now at large, with authorities confirming she fled the country months before an arrest warrant could be served.

Her disappearance has triggered renewed scrutiny of enforcement lapses surrounding the transitions in both Congress and immigration oversight, echoing concerns previously raised in the case of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping.

During Senate deliberations on the Department of Justice’s 2026 budget, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian disclosed that Ong had been released from House custody at the close of the 19th Congress, a period when no criminal case had yet been filed against her. Speaking on behalf of the DOJ during plenary, Gatchalian explained that detention orders issued by the House of Representatives automatically lapsed with the adjournment of the legislative session, clearing the way for Ong’s release. It was only after the transition to the 20th Congress that a qualified human trafficking case was formally filed, leaving Ong outside custody and now considered a fugitive.

“Because the case was filed only after she had been released, she is at large,” Gatchalian said, adding that law enforcement agencies are attempting to locate her. A warrant of arrest and a hold-departure order have since been issued, and proceedings to cancel Ong’s passport are underway. The Bureau of Immigration has no departure record for Ong, raising concerns that she may have exited the Philippines through unofficial channels. Sen. Risa Hontiveros suggested the possibility of an “Alice Guo Part Two,” alluding to earlier allegations that Guo slipped through the country’s southern backdoor to evade authorities.

However, new information from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission indicates Ong may have used more conventional routes. PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said investigators last traced her to Japan in January 2025. According to Casio, Ong left the Philippines after her release from House custody but before any hold-departure order or arrest warrant had been issued. “That was the last we got, Japan. After that, we have no idea where she went,” he said.

The timing places Ong abroad around the same period a Pampanga Regional Trial Court issued a warrant for her arrest between March and May 2025 in connection with qualified human trafficking charges linked to alleged scam operations at Lucky South 99. Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is also named as a co-accused in the same case. Casio added that an Interpol Red Notice is now in effect and that the PAOCC is coordinating with both local and international law enforcement units to locate her.

Ong is one of three individuals apprehended by Indonesian authorities in August 2024 as “suspicious foreigners,” alongside former mayor Alice Guo and her alleged sister Sheila Guo. The trio were deported to Manila to face immigration-related complaints, including allegations that they had illegally exited the Philippines. However, unlike Guo – who was later convicted of qualified human trafficking – Ong was not facing any criminal charges at the time of her return, limiting the government’s ability to restrict her movements.

Her subsequent disappearance is now prompting questions over whether gaps in coordination between Congress, the DOJ, and the Bureau of Immigration enabled her escape. With no pending charges when the 19th Congress ended, no legal mechanism existed to prevent Ong from leaving the country, and no immediate case was filed to justify her continued detention. Critics argue that this misalignment in timing effectively created an unintended window for Ong to depart.

Gatchalian acknowledged the challenge of filing cases within strict procedural timelines following legislative transitions but assured that ongoing coordination aims to prevent similar lapses. Hontiveros, who has been at the forefront of the Senate’s investigation into POGO-linked abuses, stressed the need for a comprehensive review of escape routes exploited by high-profile suspects, referencing the unresolved questions surrounding Guo’s earlier departure. “We still don’t know the full story of how Alice Guo escaped then,” she said, noting that Ong’s case underscores the urgency of systemic reform.