House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Lawmakers rejected the motion for reconsideration (MR) of the detention order against the corporate secretary of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99 after congressmen expressed their continuing doubt about the latter’s willingness to tell the truth.

Ronelyn Baterna, who was earlier detained in the premises of the House of Representatives for her refusal to spill the beans in the ongoing probe into POGOs, submitted her plea before the panel. She stressed her innocence amid the alleged illegal activities linked to the recently raided POGO hub.

Baterna told members of the House quad-committee that she was only a corporate secretary by name, and noted that she only served Lucky South 99 by issuing gate passes.

“Hindi ko po talagang totoong trabaho ‘yung corporate secretary. ‘Yung totoong trabaho ko po doon is sa gate pass lang po, nag-i-issue lang po ng gate pass sa may main gate,” she said.

(Being a corporate secretary is not my real job. My real job there is just the gate pass, just issuing gate passes at the main gate.)

However, Baterna later admitted that she also issued checks to clients of the POGO facility. She has issued checks as high as P500,000.

When asked where the money was coming from, she replied, “Hindi ko po pera (It's not my money)”.

“Si Cassandra Lee Ong ang may hawak sa chequing account (Cassandra Lee Ong is the holder of the checking account),” Baterna noted. She was referring to the representative of Lucky South 99 whose name was used in documents filed by the company to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).

Given the seemingly varied responses from Baterna, Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez stressed that the issuance of contempt to Baterna was “right and proper for her”.

As one of the four chairmen in the quad-comm, he stressed that the POGO official willingly allowed herself to be used as a “dummy” by Chinese businessmen in their alleged pursuit of criminality in the Philippines.

“Talagang ginamit siya ng mga (She was really used by) Chinese personalities. Sila po talaga ang ginagamit (The likes of her are used), not only as incorporators but as a window for the issuance of checks. And at the same time, ‘yung entrance and exit ng mga pera na nagagamit ang ating mga kapwa Pilipino (the entrance and exit of money where our fellow Filipinos are being used),” the lawmaker said.

“We sympathize with you but the very fact is mali ‘yung ginawa mo (what you did was wrong),” stressed Fernandez.

Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro, who likewise rejected the reconsideration of the detention order, asked Baterna if she was willing to execute a waiver of the Bank Secrecy Law.

By forgoing this law, the deposits, transactions, and other necessary details related to one’s bank account are free to be scrutinized. Baterna quickly agreed to do so.

With this, Fernandez ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to assist the mega-panel in tracing the link between Ong and Baterna.

Ong was earlier cited in contempt by the quad-comm for violating Section 11, paragraph a of the House of Representatives rules. Specifically, for refusal to obey summons without legal excuse.

Like Baterna, she would be detained in the House’s premises for 30 days.

The POGO official was also asked by the panel to execute an affidavit under oath. This would be the basis for lawmakers to decide on whether her contempt order will be lifted.

The quad-comm, who had its first hearing on Friday, Aug. 16, aims to investigate the supposed links between POGOs, illegal drugs, and alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.