THE quad committee of the House of Representatives will grill the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Finance (DFA) on how former presidential spokesman Harry Roque was able to leave the country despite a warrant for his arrest in connection with his links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the BI and the DFA have a lot of explaining to do when the quad panel resumes its hearing on Friday after Roque turned up at The Hague in The Netherlands last week to support former president Rodrigo Duterte who was arrested and turned over to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“I think we should already ask the BI what really happened and where he came from,” Barbers told reporters.
“I’m sure he used his passport upon arriving in the Netherlands. His port of origin will definitely be reflected in his passport),” Barbers said.
The quad committee is composed of the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order, Public Accounts, and Human Rights. It has been investigating Duterte’s war on drugs and its links to illegal POGOs.
The panel cited Roque in contempt for the second time in September last year after he skipped its hearings and ordered him detained for his refusal to submit documents to prove that he has no connection to POGOs.
The committee has ordered Roque to submit his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for the years 2016 to 2022, copies of documents related to the transfer of Biancham’s shareholdings, and his 2018 income tax return, which was filed in 2019.
Barbers said the BI has to explain if it was not informed of Roque’s travel abroad and why there was no action on its part, while Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano said he would press for answers how Roque reached the Netherlands.
“They have to explain to the committee that Harry Roque is cited in contempt but is scot-free, especially now that he has come out with Vice President Sara Duterte and the rest of the entourage at The Hague. He went into hiding, but now he’s comfortably walking around there in public,” Paduano said.
The former Duterte spokesman’s name was linked to POGOs after a house in Tuba, Benguet, reportedly owned by him, was raided, resulting in the arrest of two Chinese nationals linked to an illegal POGO operation in Bamban, Tarlac.
A practicing lawyer, Roque has admitted having an “interest” in the corporation that owns the Benguet property.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco has also revealed that Roque lobbied for Lucky South 99 in July 2023 when he accompanied Cassandra Li Ong who visited his office to discuss the firm’s unpaid arrears amounting to $500,000.
Lucky South 99 was a POGO hub located in Porac, Pampanga that has been raided by authorities.
POLITICAL ASYLUM
Rep. Jude Acidre (PL, Tingog) said Roque’s seeking of political asylum in the Netherlands is “a desperate attempt to evade accountability” for his connection with illegal POGOs.
“Roque’s asylum bid is nothing more than a cowardly maneuver to escape the consequences of his actions,” he said.
“He has been cited in contempt and ordered detained for his refusal to cooperate in our investigation into POGO-related criminal activities. Now, he wants to flee the country to avoid answering for his alleged role in a human trafficking scheme. If he has nothing to hide, why is he running?” he asked.
Roque has announced that he has applied for political asylum in The Netherlands, allegedly because he is being politically persecuted in the Philippines.
The move comes five months after a human trafficking case was filed against him and two others before the Department of Justice (DOJ), where prosecutors allege that he used his position and influence to protect and enable criminal syndicates running offshore gambling hubs who are also involved in human trafficking, cyber fraud, and money-laundering.
“This is not just about contempt in Congress anymore. Roque is now facing serious criminal charges that involve human trafficking — one of the gravest crimes under Philippine and international law,” Acidre said. “His decision to seek refuge abroad is an obvious attempt to shield himself from prosecution and avoid being held accountable for his actions.”
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the evidence against Roque is overwhelming and urged him to just return to the country and face the charges against him.
“If he believes that he is innocent, then he should be brave enough to come back and tell the people that he is innocent,” she said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart.
Castro likewise denied Roque’s claim that he is a victim of political persecution.
“Wala po tayong nakikitang political persecution. Harapin na lang po niya ang kaso niya po dito – mas maganda po iyan para maipakita niya sa taumbayan na wala po talaga siya kasalanan (We do not see any political persecution. He should just face the cases against him which is better so he could prove to the public that he did not commit anything wrong),” she said in a briefing in Malacañang. – With Jocelyn Montemayor
