Cassandra Ong (Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)

In what was a light moment during the hearing of the House quad-committee (quad-comm), Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) personality Cassandra Ong explained to a congressman that her eye-catching hairdo was done through “DIY (do-it-yourself)”.

Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez, a co-chairman of the quad-comm, remarked during the latter part of his interpellation that Ong seemed to don a different hairstyle.

“Cassandra, I’ll be asking this on behalf of my former director in the movie industry, si Direk (Director) Erik Matti, he was asking me kasi, saan ka nagpa-salon? Bakit nagpakulay ka ng buhok? (which salon did you go to? Why did you dye your hair?),” asked Fernandez.

The lawmaker observed that Ong’s hair color had changed. He also mentioned that the resource person’s mane is now “curly”, as opposed to earlier quad-comm hearings where it appeared to be straight.

“Mr. Chair, ganito pa rin po kulay ng buhok ko since last time po. Tapos po ‘yung kulot po is DIY, tirintas,” replied the 24-year-old Ong.

(Mr. Chair, my hair had this color since last time. Then, curly hair is DIY, by braiding.)

Fernandez clarified that he asked the question to find out whether or not there was a salon at the detention facility of the House of Representatives (HOR).

“Baka mamaya, mayro’n na kaming salon dito sa HOR, sa aming detention facility (Perhaps soon, we’ll have a salon here in the HOR, in our detention facility)…but if indeed there is an existing salon in the detention center then I will be filing a resolution,” he quipped.

Ong was cited in contempt and detained last Aug. 28 for refusal to answer questions from lawmakers. 

She is being investigated for her links to the illegal POGO hub Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga, which authorities raided for its alleged involvement in human trafficking, torture, and scamming. 

“Yung hair color ko, ito pa rin po naman since then (My hair color has been the same since then),” Ong insisted. “Di ba nagsa-shower naman po (I do take showers)”.

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the lead chairman of the quad-comm, bantered Fernandez for asking about Ong’s hair.

“Parang alam na alam mo ang kulay ng buhok ni Cassie ha (You seem to know Cassie's hair color very well),” joked Barbers.

“Hindi, nagte-text lang si Direk (No, the director was just texting)” Fernandez said, referring to Matti.

Fernandez, a former actor, worked with Matti on the award-winning 2015 thriller drama film “Honor Thy Father”.