THE House quad committee has issued a subpoena to Alberto Rodulfo “AR” dela Serna, the former executive assistant of ex-presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who is being investigated by lawmakers for his alleged involvement in the operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Dela Serna, who was invited by the committee to attend its August 22 hearing, submitted an excuse letter through his lawyer, Kevin San Agustin, instead of attending in person.
“The excuse letter that was signed by Atty. Agustin is not valid,” said Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts which is part of the quad comm.
Paduano said the lawyer did not even provide the joint panel proof of his legal authority to represent Dela Serna.
Dela Serna — a former male pageant contestant who represented the Philippines in the 2016 Mister Supranational competition in Poland —came under intense public scrutiny after Roque was implicated in the operations of POGO hubs operated by Chinese high-rollers.
Dela Serna’s connection to Roque was revealed during a raid by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on the Lucky South 99 compound in Porac, a known POGO facility.
During the raid, authorities discovered Dela Serna’s appointment papers as Executive Assistant III under Roque’s office, dated October 5, 2021, along with an affidavit from Roque assuming full responsibility for Dela Serna’s financial needs during a trip to Poland, Ukraine and Italy in October 2023.
These findings have raised serious questions about the nature of their relationship and the legitimacy of their travels.
Last Thursday, the quad comm cited former Roque in contempt for lying before them about why he did not attend the August 16 hearing in Pampanga.
The former presidential spokesman had to spend 24 hours at the House’s detention facility.
Dela Serna was first issued a show-cause order by the quad committee last August 16 as part of its ongoing investigation into the links between POGOs, the illegal drug trade, unlawful land acquisitions by Chinese nationals, and extrajudicial killings tied to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
The three other panels that are part of the quad comm are the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs of Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers; Public Order and Safety of Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez; and Human Rights of Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.
Abante has said POGO money was used to bankroll the war on drugs by rewarding policemen who killed drugs suspects.
Dela Serna’s failure to attend the August 22 hearing led the committee to escalate its actions by issuing a subpoena ad testificandum.
Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Ty Pimentel alleged there was a “grand conspiracy” to systematically kill Chinese citizens detained for drug-related offenses during the Duterte administration.
“I believe that this is a great conspiracy, it’s a grand conspiracy coming from the top to the bottom officials,” Pimentel said while questioning Leopoldo “Tata” Tan Jr., one of two self-confessed hitmen who claimed that Duterte allegedly issued kill orders for three convicted Chinese drug lords inside the maximum-security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in 2016.
Tan and fellow hitman Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro also implicated several police officials, including SPO4 Arturo “Art” Narsolis, Lt. Col. Royina Garma and Supt. Gerardo Padilla, then warden of DPPF.
Tan and Magdadaro told the quad comm last Thursday that back when they were still detained at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in 2016, police officials asked them to kill the three Chinese drug convicts who were also detained in the facility in exchange for P1 million and their freedom.
The three victims – Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping – were serving sentences for their involvement in illegal drug activities. Two of them were previously convicted for operating a drug laboratory in Parañaque City.
The killing incident was initially reported as an altercation among prisoners, but the two inmates’ new sworn statements revealed a far more sinister plot.
On Pimentel’s motion, the committee ordered the invitation of all individuals mentioned in Tan and Magdadaro’s testimonies and sworn affidavits.
Pimentel also cited a disturbing pattern of killings, noting that out of 32 Chinese nationals detained for drug offenses, only three were at DPPF, while the other 29 reportedly died in various detention centers.
“This just shows, Mr. Chair, that there was really a pattern, systematic killing of Chinese drug lords in different detention centers,” Pimentel said as he linked these deaths directly to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
