The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, Aug. 28, filed before the Pasay City courts criminal charges against Katherine Cassandra Li Ong and Shiela L. Guo, sister of dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac.
Shiela, also known as Zhang Mier, was charged with disobedience to summons issued by the Senate in violation of the Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC); and for using a fake Philippine passport in violation of Section 22, paragraph (b)(2) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11983, the new Philippine Passport Act.
In the case of Ong, she was charged with violation of Article 150 of the RPC for disobedience to the summons issued by the House of Representatives; and obstruction of justice for harboring, concealing or facilitating the escape of a criminal offender in violation of Section 1(c) of Presidential Decree No. 1829.
It was not known immediate which cases were filed before the regional trial court (RTC) and the metropolitan trial court (MeTC).
The filing of the cases in courts was confirmed by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony D. Fadullon.
Earlier, Fadullon said: "We released the resolution yesterday (Aug. 27) and gave instructions for its filing before the Pasay City courts."
The resolution also recommended “criminal charges against respondents Zhang and Ong for falsification under Article 172 of the RPC, and for violations of RA 8239, Philippine Passport Act of 1996, and Commonwealth Act No. 613 be referred to the National Bureau of Investigation and other appropriate law enforcement agencies for case build up and further investigation....”
The dismissed mayor and her companions have sneaked out the Philippines avoiding immigration checks after having been linked to the criminal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)
This was despite order issued by the DOJ last June to place the dismissed mayor, her siblings Wesley and Shiela, and Ong in the immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) along with several others.
Ong and Shiela returned to the Philippines last Aug. 22 following their arrest in Batam, Indonesia.
Shiela is the subject of an arrest order issued by the Senate for ignoring the summons for her to appear before its ongoing hearings on POGOs.
Similarly, Ong is the subject of an arrest order issued by the House of Representatives which cited her in contempt for ignoring its summons.