Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s bid for asylum was denied by The Netherlands, which has remanded his application to Germany, which had issued him a Schengen visa.
Roque served as spokesman for former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is himself detained in The Hague where he is facing trial before the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.
Roque, a former human rights lawyer before joining the Duterte, is wanted in Manila on human trafficking charges, a non-bailable offense.
Roque also served as lawyer for a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator or POGO in Central Luzon. It was among the first to be ordered closed by the government, before all POGOs were ordered to cease operations in the country by the Marcos administration.
He is also the subject of a contempt order by the House of Representatives for failing to attend committee hearings after he had promised to show documents proving his innocence.
Roque denied that his asylum bid had been rejected, saying that if this were the case, he should have been deported already.
He, however, posted photos of himself showing that he was in Bremen, a city in Germany. Roque also insisted over social media that his application for asylum was still pending.
He was also seen in Luxembourg, where the European Union’s Court of Justice is located.
“It should be noted that Mr. Roque himself has announced several times his plan to elevate or appeal his asylum request to a higher international court in the event his initial attempt is set aside. He was accompanied by another propagandist. Could he be assisting her, perhaps for her own asylum attempt?” said Joel Vega, who had filed the petition calling on The Netherlands to reject Roque’s asylum bid.
A Philippine-born Dutch national, Vega had cited an informant, who claimed that Roque’s asylum bid had been denied and he was ordered to leave The Netherlands within a certain period.
His case had been transferred to Germany as of last week, said the source.
The Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) had reportedly terminated Roque’s application on June 10, after which his case records were turned over to German authorities.
“The IND concluded Roque’s application on June 10 and forwarded the case to Germany, in accordance with the Dublin Regulation,” Vega stated.
“Because Germany issued the Schengen visa, they are now responsible for his case,” he added.
A Schengen visa allows non-EU citizens to visit the Schengen area – a group of 29 European countries – for short stays of up to 90 days.
Schengen visas are primarily intended for tourism, business, or visiting family, and also allow transit through member-nation airports.
On the other hand, the Dublin Regulation is an agreement between EU member states that determines which country is responsible for considering an asylum application.
It is unclear if Roque was escorted out of The Hague by Dutch police as typically required when transferring responsibility under EU deportation rules, Vega said.
Roque maintained in recent months that he could not be arrested while his asylum petition was under review.
With the Dutch process now closed, legal jurisdiction over his status has shifted to Germany.
Meanwhile, Philippine authorities have confirmed they are working with European agencies to seek Roque’s return.
Roque’s next possible move would be to seek asylum in Germany.
The Marcos government has stated that it is cancelling Roque’s passport. It will also ask the assistance of the International Police, or Interpol, to help bring him back to Manila.
The Philippine government has also stated that Roque’s bid for asylum – whether successful or not – will not nullify the arrest warrant he faces in the country.
