NEW police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III yesterday urged former presidential spokesman Harry Roque to surrender and face the qualified human trafficking case filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against him.
“This is a valid case pending before our courts. Harry Roque is a lawyer so he should face it,” Torre said in a press briefing at Camp Crame shortly after assuming as PNP chief.
Torre said Roque cannot just protest against the criminal case, which was filed in relation to the illegal operation of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Porac, Pampanga which was raided by authorities in June last year.
Roque allegedly aided the POGO hub in securing its operating license, along with Cassandra Ong, who is said to be the authorized representative of Lucky South.
Ong, along with 49 others, are Roque’s co-respondents in the qualified human trafficking case filed before an Angeles City, Pampanga court. Qualified human trafficking is a non-bailable offense.
Two of the suspects have been arrested by operatives of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in the past weeks in Pampanga.
The 49 others, including Roque and Ong, are still at-large.
Roque is currently in the Netherlands, where he has applied for political asylum due to alleged persecution by the Marcos administration.
“You really have to come (here), submit yourself to the jurisdiction of the courts, and make your case and give your arguments regarding your case. I think it is but prudent for the other accused to just surrender themselves,” Torre said referring to Roque.
“Just surrender yourself to the court come to the jurisdiction (of the court)… so that you can prepare for your defense,” he added.
Torre has made a similar appeal to Roque and the other respondents when he was the CIDG director, the last post that he handled before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him as the new PNP chief.
To wanted persons in general, Torre said operations are ongoing to arrest them.
“(It’s just a) matter of time before we get them… We are really very committed to ensure that these people hiding from the law will be brought to justice and we are determined to bring them back within the bounds of the law,” he said.
On the possible issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former PNP chief now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, Torre said: “We’ll cross the bridge when we are there.”
Torre led the group of police who arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte last March based on an arrest warrant issued by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.
There are talks that the court may also issue a warrant against Dela Rosa, who led the Duterte administration’s bloody war against illegal drugs.
Torre said it is hard to comment on the possible arrest of Dela Rosa, noting that there is still no arrest warrant issued against him.
“What if there will be none, so its really hard… But obviously, we are also making contingencies. If something like that happens, we know what to do. It is not really proper to discuss it at this moment….You know what I mean. It’s really something that has to be acted upon when its already there. We’ll make decisions as it comes,” he said.
To the critics of the Marcos administration, Torre said they should not fear him as the PNP chief as long as they are following the law.
“Everything should be done within the ambit of the law,” he said.
As to the President’s directive to him when it comes to the opponents of the Marcos administration, Torre said: “My special assignment from the President is to serve the people with the best of our abilities and we’re going to do that.”
