Roque, others charged with trafficking
A nonbailable trafficking charge has been formally filed against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Cassandra Ong and more than 40 others over their alleged involvement in the illegal activities of the now-banned Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub Lucky South 99 Corp. in Porac, Pampanga.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty confirmed to reporters on Monday that state prosecutors have filed the information charging Roque, who is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, and other respondents with qualified human trafficking and several counts of human trafficking before the Angeles City Regional Trial Court.
Lucky South 99 was raided and shuttered by law enforcers on June 4, 2024, amid allegations of torture, human trafficking and illegal scamming activities.
Aside from Roque and Ong, Ty said Dennis Cunanan, the company’s communications and government relations head, and Duanren Wu, identified as the “top boss” of Whirlwind Corp. which leased land to Lucky South 99, were also implicated in the case.
How to nab Roque
In an interview, Ty said the government would have to explore other options to bring home Roque and other fugitives once an arrest warrant is issued.
He said these options include the cancellation of their passports and placing them on Interpol’s red list.
“But one thing that [Justice] Secretary [Jesus Crispin Remulla] told me earlier, when I reported to him that the resolution had been released, is that it must be communicated—especially once the warrant comes out—to the government of the Netherlands that Mr. Harry Roque is facing this case, and that we will show that this case has nothing to do with politics. This is really about the crime of human trafficking,” the Department of Justice official said.
‘Human right to asylum’
In a statement, Roque said “My inclusion in the charges, let me underscore, is just an afterthought. I was not initially included in the human trafficking charges filed against Ms. Cassandra Li Ong and others.”
He maintained that no element of human trafficking was present, nor was there evidence showing that he recruited, transferred, transported, or harbored Chinese or Filipino workers for forced labor and prostitution.
Roque added that he would include the latest charge against him in his application for asylum as a “victim of political persecution owing to my loyalty to the Dutertes.”
“This is not flight as evidence of guilt but the exercise of a human right to asylum,” he said.
