Lawyer: Cassandra Ong has valid Philippine passport

MANILA, Philippines — There was no reason for the repatriation of Cassandra Li Ong from Indonesia to the Philippines, since no case has been filed against her and she has a valid Philippine passport, her camp said yesterday.

At a press conference in Quezon City, Ong’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio maintained that an official of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed to him that his client did not violate the Philippine Passport Act that would warrant her deportation.

“For the record… I asked an official of the Bureau of Immigration if she violated the Philippine Passport Act, and the official said ‘No, because based on our record she is a Filipino and holder of a valid Philippine passport.’ She went out of the country through the normal channels. So, why was there a request from the Philippine government through the Indonesian government to repatriate her?” Topacio asked.

He did not identify the BI official.

Ong was repatriated together with dismissed former Bamban mayor Alice Guo’s sister, Shiela Leal Guo.

Topacio said a case of arbitrary detention would be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ), amid Ong’s alleged illegal detention at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

He questioned the legality of the move of the NBI to detain Ong without any criminal case against her.

“Cassy Li Ong is not a fugitive from justice. Cassy Li Ong has no criminal case. What is the legal basis of the NBI to arrest Cassy Li Ong? None. There is no case filed in court. There is no warrant of arrest issued by any court,” Topacio said.

He added that his team is now studying who will be included in the case, and gave assurance that it will include high ranking officials of the DOJ.

According to Topacio, from the BI, Ong should have been immediately transferred to the custody of the House of Representatives and not the NBI.

“I even questioned the transfer of Cassy Li Ong from the Bureau of Immigration to the NBI as she was supposed to be brought to the House. I even gave them the chance to be free from criminal liability,” he added.

Topacio noted that it was only on Saturday when Ong and Guo underwent inquest proceedings.

“The inquest was done last Saturday, meaning the investigation on whether a criminal case will be filed has just started, and we questioned the inquest because that case is not proper for inquest. The inquest is only proper when there is warrantless arrest,” he added.