The House Quad Committee investigating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) has uncovered that Duanren Wu, the top executive at Whirlwind Corporation, is a former Chinese police officer.
This information surfaced during testimony from Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, a key witness in the probe being conducted by the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts.
Ong, who is Wu’s goddaughter, confirmed that her boss previously worked for the Chinese government before venturing into business.
“Ang alam ko lang po is nagtatrabaho siya sa government agency noon, tapos nag-resign na po after, (All I know is that he worked for a government agency and then later on resigned)” Ong said in response to questioning by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the committee on dangerous drugs.
“Simpleng police lang po siya, pero again, nag-resign na rin po siya (He was just a simple police officer but again he resigned),” she added.
Ong also admitted to knowing Mr. Cheng, owner of Lucky South 99, an illegal POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, that was raided by authorities in June.
“Basta ang alam ko po ang may-ari ng Lucky South, si Mr. Cheng (All I know is that the owner of Lucky South is Mr. Cheng). I’m gonna give you his full details once na ma-call ko po ‘yung mga tao (… I was able to get in touch with the people),” she said.
Barbers raised concerns about possible illegal activities involving Ong’s business partners even as he questioned potential money laundering activities.
The Surigaonon lawmaker later revealed that Wu, described by Ong as close to her when he visited the Philippines, has a negative record as a former police officer in China.
Ong remains under House custody as the investigation continues.
