The International Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a red notice against Cassandra Li Ong and Ronelyn Baterna, linked to qualified human trafficking at Lucky South 99 POGO. Ong served as the operator's representative, while Baterna was the corporate secretary. Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque is also targeted in a related request.
In Manila, Philippines, the International Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a red notice against Cassandra Li Ong, representative of Lucky South 99, a Philippine offshore gaming operator accused of forcing vulnerable victims into customer service roles and kidnapping online players who failed to pay debts. Ronelyn Baterna, the firm's corporate secretary, is also subject to the notice. Ong faces qualified human trafficking charges at the Angeles City Regional Trial Court and is associated with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who was convicted of the same offense.
Last year, Ong was questioned and briefly detained during a Senate inquiry led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros into POGOs. Senate plenary deliberations on the Department of Justice's 2026 budget revealed Ong had been released from the Correctional Institution for Women and was last tracked in Japan this year. Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesman Winston Casio said they are tracking Ong and Baterna after arrest warrants were issued, but they have gone under the radar.
"We couldn’t trace Ong because her social media was locked," Casio told radio dzBB. He added that Baterna’s online account "disappeared." Even Ong’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said he hasn’t been in touch with his client "for some time now." Topacio accused the government of using Ong to divert attention from the flood control scandal. The PAOCC believes Ong and Baterna are hiding together.
During Senate hearings, Ong and Baterna were seen rolling eyes at each other as lawmakers grilled them on illicit operations at Lucky South 99. The Philippine National Police stated it is intensifying efforts to bring Ong home.
In a related development, the Philippines has requested an Interpol red notice against former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, facing an arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking. The Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 118 issued the warrant on May 8. Roque served as lawyer for Whirlwind Corp., which leased land to Lucky South 99. His sedition case, linked to a video alleging President Marcos snorting cocaine, could also support the notice. However, Roque is seeking asylum in the Netherlands over political persecution, potentially delaying the 2-3 month process.