House to summon DFA, BI over Roque’s travels
The House quad committee will summon the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to explain how former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was able to fly to the Netherlands despite a standing arrest warrant and immigration lookout order issued against him.
In a television interview on Tuesday, Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Paduano, one of the co-chairs of the four House committees, said they would also ask the DFA for legal remedies regarding Roque’s travel documents, which enabled him to fly from Abu Dhabi and reportedly to Japan, and finally, the Netherlands.
Roque surfaced publicly for the first time last week to visit former President Rodrigo Duterte who was arrested in the Philippines on March 11 and brought to The Hague to stand trial before the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. Roque told reporters in an online briefing on March 17 that he would apply for political asylum in the Netherlands to serve as Duterte’s legal counsel.
“As of now, we cannot talk about the liabilities of the two agencies, but as I’ve said, they have to explain to the committee, that Harry Roque is cited for contempt but he’s scot-free, especially now that it appears he is with Vice President Sara (Duterte), and all the other members of the entourage at The Hague,” Paduano said.
Roque had been in hiding since September 2024 after he was cited in contempt and ordered arrested by the House quad committee for his refusal to turn over some documents. He was then being probed for his alleged links to illegal offshore gaming operations.
Pending case
Separately, a human trafficking case was filed against him and two others before the Department of Justice. The complaint filed by government prosecutors alleges that Roque used his position and influence to protect and enable criminal syndicates running offshore gambling hubs involved in human trafficking, cyberfraud and money laundering.
Another lawmaker, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, said she would ask the quad committee to counter Roque’s asylum bid and force him to answer the pending issues about his Pogo involvement first.
“I think the quad committee is set to have another hearing and there we would discuss this application for asylum [by Roque],” she said. “Our primary goal is to block, through the House quad committee, this bid” which she said could be coursed through the DFA.
Malacañang, meanwhile, denied Roque’s claim that he was being politically persecuted, which would qualify him to apply for asylum.
“We do not see any form of political persecution, so it would be better if he would just face the cases filed against him here so he can prove to the public that he is innocent,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.
Castro noted that it was premature to conclude that Roque’s asylum could derail the charges filed against him.
“What I know is that he has just filed his application. Let us not forget that before this is granted, he needs to show a well-founded fear of political persecution,” she said.
Effortless
According to Castro, the pieces of evidence that exposed Roque’s alleged involvement in Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogo) were gathered by authorities “without any effort.”
“Let us not forget that the evidence just fell on the lap of the PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) such as the bank documents bearing the name of Atty. Harry Roque at Lucky South 99,” she said.
Castro was referring to the Pogo hub in Porac town in Pampanga that was raided by operatives in June 2024, which uncovered reported illegal Pogo operations and alleged cases of human trafficking, kidnapping and torture within the compound.
Documents also revealed Roque’s contract of lease with an alleged manager of Lucky South 99, she said.
“So how could there be political persecution if all the pieces of evidence are overwhelming?” Castro asked.
