Katherine Ong stays in House custody despite withdrawn contempt order

Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, an associate of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and representative for Lucky South 99, remains in the custody of the House of Representatives.

Ong was previously arrested by Indonesian immigration authorities on August 22 based on legislative orders and deported back to the Philippines, after being cited in contempt by the House committee investigating criminal activities tied to POGOs for snubbing a congressional inquiry.

Her initial arrest led to her being turned over to the House of Representatives' custody from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on August 26.

However, a second contempt citation against Ong was withdrawn by the House committees after she became cooperative during proceedings.

The first contempt order remains, meaning she continues to be detained within the House of Representatives.

The contempt and detention order against Ronelyn Baterna, Lucky South 99's corporate secretary, was also lifted.

Baterna testified that she issued checks for Lucky South 99 clients, with the largest being P500,000, sourced from Ong.

Ong confirmed she has multiple Chinabank accounts for Lucky South 99 transactions and is involved in renting office spaces for POGO hubs.