MANILA — Cassandra Ong, a key figure in the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) controversy and currently facing charges of qualified human trafficking, is reportedly in the Philippines, Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday, December 2.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the information comes from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and operations to locate Ong are ongoing.

“Based on their records at present, Ms. Cassandra Ong is in the Philippines. The operations to track her continue since she is considered a fugitive due to a warrant of arrest against her,” Castro said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has offered a P1-million reward for information on her whereabouts.

Ong was initially detained by the House of Representatives but was released when the 19th Congress ended. Her arrest warrant for qualified human trafficking was issued after her release.

Earlier, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) stated that Ong was last tracked in Japan, though the agency said there was no further information on her location afterward.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian informed a Senate panel that Ong had been released from detention at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City and is now “at large.”

The arrest warrant against Ong was issued in May 2025 by the Angeles, Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 118 in connection with a human trafficking case linked to the alleged Lucky South 99 scam hub. The Court of Appeals in July dismissed Ong’s petition challenging the DOJ’s resolution that indicted her.

Castro urged the public: “Whoever sees Cassandra Ong should immediately inform law enforcement agencies so that the warrant of arrest can be served.“