SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and law enforcement agencies should pinpoint who helped former Palace spokesman Harry Roque leave the country undetected.
Hontiveros said he expects the BI and law enforcement agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) not to remain clueless about Roque’s escape as they had been when dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, aka Guo Hua Ping, fled the country in July.
“I expect the BI, along with our law enforcers, to identify at the soonest possible time who helped Harry Roque escape undetected. Ang Dubai ay isang POGO hub kaya baka mga POGO actors din ang tumulong sa kanya (Dubai is a POGO hub and maybe POGO actors helped him escape),” Hontiveros said.
She said the BI must double its efforts in fishing for information on how Roque managed to leave the country and who aided him.
“Kapag ang ordinaryong Pilipino na lumalabas ng bansa, pahirapan sa immigration, pero kapag pugante, tila ang dali makalusot (Ordinary Filipinos are having a hard time going out the country but fugitives can leave seamlessly),” she said.
BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval told radio DZBB there is no indication that one of their own assisted Roque in leaving the country.
“Sa initial investigation po natin, wala pong indication (There is no indication of that based on our initial investigation),” Sandoval said when asked if BI agents could have aided Roque escape.
Roque, who is the subject of an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) confirmed Tuesday that he is no longer in the country.
On Tuesday, he submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) his counter affidavit on the qualified trafficking in persons complaint filed against him for his alleged involvement in the illegal operations of Lucky South 99, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) that was raided and shut down by authorities.
The counter-affidavit was notarized in the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Roque went into hiding after the House of Representatives quad committee investigating among others the alleged illegal activities of POGOs in the country issued an arrest order for him after he failed to attend hearings and submit subpoenaed documents, including his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, that he previously promised he will provide to the committee.
Last October, the Supreme Court junked the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo filed by Roque’s daughter seeking to stop the House probe.
Sandoval said Roque left the country through illegal means as records show that the former presidential spokesperson had no attempt to exit the country through formal immigration channels.
BI records, Sandoval said, showed the last travel of Roque was in July when he arrived from Los Angeles, USA.
She said, though, that the BI believes that more than one person may have helped Roque leave the country.
“Hindi lang ito siguro isang facilitator or tumulong sa kanya, eh. Marami ito. It’s a concerted effort, kasi napakahirap pong mag set up ng ganyang pag alis (We think more than one facilitator helped him. There’s many of them. It’s a concerted effort because it’s very difficult to set up such an effort),” she said.
Meanwhile, Sandoval said the BI legal team convened on Tuesday to discuss the possible legal actions to be taken against Roque
“Kahapon nagpulong ang aming legal team kung ano ang pwedeng isampa kay Atty. Roque for illegally departing the country kasi nakita natin na walang recent attempt to leave the country via formal channel ([On Tuesday], our legal team convened to discuss what possible cases can be filed against Atty. Roque for illegally departing the country since our records show he has no recent attempt to leave the country via formal channels),” Sandoval told the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” forum.
“Isa sa mga nakita natin ay nagkaroon ng falsification ng dokumento upang ipakita o i-present na siya ay lawfully departed the country (One of this is his documents were falsified to make it appear that he lawfully departed the country),” she said.
Sandoval said the BI also believes that the country’s laws must be strengthened against individuals who leave the country through illegal means.
“Because there is no specific law that covers people, Filipinos, going out of the country. Walang punitive action ang (We have no punitive action against) Filipinos going out of the country illegally. There is no legislation penalizing illegal departures unlike sa ibang bansa (in other countries),” she said.
CLARIFICATORY HEARING
Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez yesterday insisted Roque should appear for clarificatory hearing despite his submission of his Abu Dhabi-subscribed counter affidavit.
Vasquez said it would be in Roque’s interest to appear in the clarificatory hearing.
On Tuesday, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said a clarificatory hearing may be set any time between now and December 16.
Vasquez acknowledged that under the DOJ rule, a counter affidavit can be filed even without the person appearing personally before the prosecutor as long as it is subscribed before any authorized officer, including a consular official or even a notary public.
Roque said he subscribed his counter affidavit at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi in the presence of the vice consul and the Philippine Ambassador.
His account was confirmed by the Department of Foreign, who in a statement issued late Tuesday night, said Roque was with his wife when they availed themselves of consular services at the embassy in Abu Dhabi last November 29.
“Pero kinakailangan pa rin humarap siya kung kinakailangang magbigay ng clarificatory hearing. For example, gusto malaman pa ng investigating prosecutor ‘yung lahat ng detalye or kung merong aspeto noong kaso na gusto niya ng masusing detalye (But he still needs to appear if there is a need for a clarificatory hearing. For example, if the investigating prosecutor wants to know the details or any aspect and details of the case),” Vasquez said.
“At malalaman mo lang yan kung ‘yung mga tao ay haharap at mag attend ng scheduled clarificatory hearing (And you can only clarify things if the people involved will appear and attend the scheduled clarificatory hearing),” he said.
The DOJ official said the case will still proceed if Roque refuse to appear in the clarificatory hearing and it would be left to the discretion of the prosecutor to assess the counter affidavit.
