FORMER presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, was charged yesterday with qualified human trafficking by state prosecutors before the Angeles City Regional Trial Court in connection with his alleged link to the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) facility in Porac, Pampanga that was raided by authorities last year.
Qualified human trafficking is a non-bailable offense.
Also charged with Roque are Cassandra Ong and 48 other officials and employees of Whirlwind Corporation and Lucky South 99 that operated the POGO facility that authorities alleged was a front for a scam farm.
In its April 7 resolution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged Roque “gained and/or profited from aggressively pursuing the renewal of the supposed Internet Gaming License of Lucky South 99.”
“Roque knowingly facilitated or contributed to the activities for the purpose of organizing the trafficking or exploitation of workers,” the DOJ said, adding that either he had knowledge that his client was involved in trafficking workers or he was “willfully blind” to what was happening.
“His indispensable cooperation and participation makes him equally liable with his co-respondents,” it added.
To recall, Roque had admitted during the hearing of the quad committee of the House of Representatives that he accompanied Ong to a meeting with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairperson Alejandro Tengco to appeal Lucky South 99’s unpaid tax arrears to appeal the offshore gaming firm’s license to operate in the country.
He denied, though, that he represented Lucky South 99 as its lawyer during the meeting. Ong served as the firm’s corporate secretary.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the PNP – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed the charges against Roque before the DOJ last year.
In its complaint, the PAOCC and PNP-CIDG alleged that despite Roque’s denials, narratives from resource persons indicated that he actively participated in the operations of Lucky South 99.
They cited the confirmation made by Pagcor assistant vice president Jessa Mariz Fernandez on July 26, 2023 that Roque and Ong discussed Lucky South 99’s debt of $456,593 which they attributed to alleged fraud by another respondent, former Technology Livelihood Resource Center chief Dennis Cunanan.
The human trafficking charges are based on witness accounts from local and foreign POGO workers which outlined the alleged abuses at the Porac facility, including human trafficking, kidnapping, illegal detention, and cybercrime fraud.
“These pieces of evidence show the direct participation of respondent Roque in the furtherance of the illegal activity of Lucky South 99. Roque’s deep-seated involvement with Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind is further bolstered by the presence of his Executive Assistant in the person of Mr. Alberto Rudolfo Dela Serna living inside the compound of Lucky South 99 for free and who maintains a joint bank account with respondent Roque,” the complaint said.
It also said that Roque could not claim that he did not know what was happening inside the POGO compound as he was privy, through Dela Serna, to all the activities of Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind.
Ong has also denied knowledge or involvement in any illegal activities, telling the House quad panel that she did not run the POGO facility despite documents listing her as the representative of Lucky South 99.
Ong has pointed to her godfather, Duanren Wu as the firm’s supposed “big boss.”
Wu, who was also among the accused, has gone into hiding.
In a statement, Roque denied the allegations in the case and accused the Marcos administration of running after him with “manufactured” cases.
“When it rains, it pours. The Marcos Jr. administration is hell-bent on manufacturing cases against me and the latest filing of a qualified human trafficking case filed today, April 28, at the Angeles City Regional Trial Court is no exception,” Roque said.
He said he had long expected the development considering that he is an outspoken ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte who was arrested and flown to the Netherlands last month to face the crime against humanity cases before the International Criminal Court.
“As an outspoken Duterte ally, I have been subject to political persecution from the kangaroo court called quad committee investigation to the Bureau of Internal Revenue hounding me, to incitement to sedition charge because of the release of the polvoron video and now qualified human trafficking,” he said.
He accused the DOJ and the National Prosecution Service of losing their independence.
“I consider the latest action an unjust prosecution and a travesty of justice. My inclusion in the charges, let me underscore, is just an afterthought. I was not initially included in the human trafficking charges filed against Ms. Cassandra Li Ong and others,” he added.
Roque said the charges have no merit as the no element of human trafficking is present.
He said there is also no evidence that he recruited, transferred, transported, or harbored Chinese or Filipino workers for forced labor and prostitution.
“It is likewise ludicrous to say that I have exploited workers through force, coercion, fraud, deception, or abuse of power. Neither is there an iota of evidence of conspiracy. I do not know any official or employee in Lucky South 99, except for Ms. Ong. I am private citizen Harry Roque who just happens to be in the legal profession,” he said.
He said even Ong has told the quad panel that he is not a lawyer of Lucky South 99 and that it was just a “staff error” that his name was included in the company’s organizational chart.
“It is as clear as the sky that my subsequent inclusion is an attempt to fabricate evidence,” he added.
Roque said he will include the filing of the case against him in his application for asylum in the Netherlands as a “victim of political persecution” owing to his loyalty to the Dutertes.
