JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday said former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has moved to Germany after his asylum request was denied by Dutch authorities.
Remulla said this was the information that reached him though he did not provide additional details.
“Ang alam ko hindi siya nabigyan ng asylum ng Netherlands. Kaya nasa Germany na ang pagbibigay nito kung sakali (As far as I know, his asylum request was denied by the [government of] the Netherlands. It is up to Germany if he will be given one),” Remulla said in an interview.
“Yan ang pagkakaalam ko, pagkasabi sa akin (That’s as far as I know, that’s what I was told),” he added.
Roque denied that his asylum application has been turned down by Dutch authorities, but confirmed that he went to Frankfurt, Germany.
He called Remulla’s statement as fake news.
“I am not surprised that the Marcos Jr. administration, through the Department of Justice, has become the purveyor of fake news. Strike two na ang DOJ secretary. Una, sinabi niya mayroon daw akong multiple passports. Ngayon, denied asylum. Ano ito? Nakalap ang impormasyon sa usapang marites (This is strike two for the DOJ secretary. First, he claimed I have multiple passports. Now, he is saying that my asylum request was denied. What is this? Did he get his information from gossip)?” Roque said in a statement posted on his social media account.
He said his trip to Germany was for a preplanned activity, and not to request for asylum.
“The visit was upon the invitation of the Filipino community in Germany, where I administered the oathtaking of the proud members of the Hakbang ng Maisug Germany,” he said.
He claimed he is “now back at the Hague in the Netherlands.”
Remulla said that if Roque transfers to another country, the Philippine government can file an extradition request at the proper time.
He said, though, that this would no longer be necessary once the former government official’s passport is cancelled.
“Baka hindi na kailangan kasi ika-cancel na yung passport niya. Pag naging undocumented alien yan, pwede nang kunin ng Interpol (There may be no need for it [extradition request] since his passport might be cancelled any time. Once he is an undocumented alien, he can be arrested by the Interpol),” Remulla said.
The DOJ has formally asked a court to cancel Roque’s passport and is now waiting for its action.
Remulla said Roque is taking advantage of the European Union’s open border policy, noting his move from the Netherlands to Germany.
“Sa EU kasi, basta may visa ka, open border naman ang EU. Pero pagka-fugitive ka na from justice, lalung lalo na pag nawalan ng documentation, pwede na siyang habulin ng Interpol (In the EU, if you have a visa, they have an open border. But once you are a fugitive from justice, especially if you have no documentation, then the Interpol can easily arrest him),” he explained.
Roque is the subject of a warrant of arrest issued by a court in Angeles City, Pampanga stemming from his alleged involvement in the illegal operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Porac town that was raided by authorities last year.
Roque said that if Philippine authorities want to know his whereabouts, they only need to check his social media accounts where he makes frequent updates.
“Marcos Jr. does not need billions of pesos of confidential and intelligence funds to track my location. Just check my Facebook account. It is all there,” he said.
