By ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA – A Malacañang official has denied that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos have close ties to Cassandra Li Ong, who is being linked to an illegal Philippin e Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga.
According to Presidential Special Envoy to China for Trade, Tourism and Investment Benito Techico, the Marcoses and Ong have no special connection despite being pictured together in a Pasay City restaurant in November 2020.
Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Ong’s legal counsel, released a group photo on Monday showing the First Couple with Techico together with Ong and a supposed POGO owner in Porac, Pampanga, among others.
Techico said in a press conference on Monday evening that, while the picture that was taken in a Pasay City restaurant was authentic, the story behind it, as claimed by Topacio, was not.
“After dinner, may pinakilala ‘yung restaurant owner na hindi rin naman namin alam kung sino. May mga kasama siya, pumasok na Chinese, at humingi ng litrato sa ating Presidente [around] 2020,” Techico said in a press conference on Monday night.
“Ang ating Presidente naman ay pinayagan naman po, the typical na nagpapa-picture. Ganon lang kasimple. After that lumabas na po [sila ng restaurant],” he added.
Techino further said he only found out that Ong was one of those who had their picture taken with the Marcos couple when the picture was made public by Topacio on Monday.
Ong was arrested in Indonesia last week and brought to the Philippines together with Shiela Guo, sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who is also being linked to illegal POGO operations.
Ong and Shiela Guo were transferred to the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively, on Monday morning from the National Bureau of Investigation./PN
