The Philippine House of Representatives' Quadripartite Committee has lifted the second contempt of court order against Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, as members deemed her to have "ultimately cooperated" and finally responded to the questions posed to her.
Initially, Ong refused to directly answer the members' questions, claiming she was exercising her right to refuse to incriminate herself, thus being charged with contempt of court. Ong later changed her way of answering, stating more directly: "I refuse to testify," which prompted Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. to make a motion.
However, as the inquiry progressed, Ong, perhaps due to further consideration, gradually softened and eventually changed her stance, answering several questions posed by Representative Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, such as her whereabouts, whether she was familiar with certain individuals in offshore gaming companies, and whether she had worked for Whirlwind and offshore gaming company center operator Lucky South 99.
Ong ultimately explicitly acknowledged that she was a member of both Whirlwind and Lucky South 99—confirming several members' suspicions that she worked both as a land lessor and for a Pogo operator.
At the end of the third Quadripartite Committee hearing, Representative Zia Alonto Adiong made a motion, given her change in attitude and cooperation, to apply for the revocation of the contempt of court order against Ong. According to the order, Ong was to be detained in a women's correctional facility.
Subsequently, after Ong signed a bank secrecy waiver agreement for her three bank accounts, the contempt of court order was lifted.
However, this revocation only applies to the second contempt of court order. The first contempt of court order against Ong remains in effect, and she will still be detained by the House of Representatives.
