A Marcos administration special envoy dispelled links between the First Couple and Cassandra Li Ong who was arrested last week for connections to a raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga.
In a media interview Monday evening, August 26, Presidential Special Envoy to China Benito Techico refuted lawyer Ferdinand Topacio’s accusations that both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos are linked to Chinese POGO incorporator Ong and other investors based on a November 2020 restaurant photo.
Techico called Topacio’s claims “false and malicious” as he presented to the media a photo of his client together with the President and the First Lady. However, Topacio did not divulge where or when the photo was taken.
According to Techico, the group photo was taken in 2020 after numerous Chinese customers asked for a keepsake photo. Apart from the first couple, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation director Jose Maria Ortega, Techico, and other individuals were also in the said photo.
Ong is an incorporator of the Whirlwind Corp., which leased land to Lucky South 99’s Pogo. In June, the Porac, Pampanga gaming hub was raided for allegedly facilitating human trafficking, cyber scams, and torture.
Last Monday, she and Shiela Guo, sister of fired Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, who fled the country while facing criminal investigations for her ties to another seized Pogo in her town, were detained in Indonesia and deported.
Techico clarified that the President and the First Lady had “no connection whatsoever to Ong.”
“After the dinner, the restaurant owner introduced to us someone we were not familiar with. This person came in with Chinese companions and asked for a photo with our President [around] 2020. And our President obliged; it’s typical for people to have pictures taken with him. It was that simple. They all left after that,” Techico said.
“Ginawan ng kuwento. Hindi kilala ni presidente lahat ‘yung mga nagre-request na magpapakuha ng larawan sa kanya,” he added.
Other private businessmen found in the Pasay City restaurant photo have also disputed that Ong knew the Marcoses and had lengthy conversations with them.
However, Techico admitted that the photo was real and not edited. He said that the image was taken at the “Hao hao” restaurant in the SM Mall of Asia.
Techico learned Ong was in the image after Topacio released the photo to the public.
He wanted this issue resolved “because our group feels that it’s so unfair to the President,” given that he had worked hard and yet tales maligning him kept appearing.
He called Topacio’s claim “100-percent contrary to what really happened.” (TCSP)
