DOJ seeks cancellation of Roque’s passport
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque could face deportation proceedings if the Dutch government denies his plea for an asylum, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday.
This after the Department of Justice (DOJ) applied for the cancellation of Roque’s passport last week as he faces a nonbailable qualified trafficking charge in the Philippines.
Roque, who is reportedly in the Netherlands seeking asylum, is the subject of an arrest warrant after state prosecutors charged him and over 40 others with qualified human trafficking and multiple counts of human trafficking.
The case stems from their alleged involvement with Lucky South 99, a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Porac, Pampanga, which was raided and shut down last year amid allegations of torture, human trafficking and online scamming. (See related story in Regions, Page A6.)
Remulla told reporters in a chance interview on Monday that the DOJ already sought the cancellation of Roque’s passport, although he did not specify as to which court the request was filed.
The DOJ chief said the possible cancellation of Roque’s passport would “limit his options” and make him an undocumented alien.
“That depends on whether the Netherlands grants him asylum. But I doubt it, because the Netherlands is one of the countries strongly opposed to human trafficking, which is the charge against Harry Roque,” Remulla said.
If the Dutch government rejects Roque’s asylum, Remulla said it would lead to his deportation as an undocumented alien.
“What’s important is that he’s ultimately forced to account for his actions here and defend himself. Everything hasn’t even started yet, and he’s already running away. Under our laws, flight is an indication of guilt. So we hope he just faces the charges to make things easier for the country,” Remulla said.
‘Premature’
In a statement on Monday, Roque said it was “premature” to cancel his passport since he filed a motion for reconsideration asking the DOJ to dismiss the qualified human trafficking case against him.
In his motion, Roque said he pointed out that there was no evidence to prove that he organized, provided financial support, or ordered other persons to commit any act of human trafficking.
“Cancelling my passport, I reiterate, is part of the Marcos Jr. administration’s efforts to silence me as a vocal critic and ally of the Dutertes,” he said.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty earlier explained Roque’s alleged link to the trafficking case, citing Section 4l of the Qualified Trafficking in Persons Act, involving the organizing and managing of human trafficking operations.
“As long as it’s shown that you were involved in establishing or organizing an institution that was used for human trafficking, you can be charged. And for the respondents, you can see that each one had a contribution to setting up the Pogo operation in Porac,” he said.
While some are claiming that Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind are separate entities, Ty said prosecutors treated them as a single group, finding no separation of corporate identity.
“As for Roque—it’s clear, from his own statements, that he was the lawyer for Whirlwind. But it also came out that he went, despite claiming he was only the lawyer for Whirlwind, to the Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) office to lobby for the renewal of Lucky South 99’s IGL (internet gaming licensee),” Ty added.
