Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque was again ordered detained by the House of Representative for refusing to provide documents proving or disproving his links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
The warrant for his arrest, however, could not be served as Roque had gone into hiding.
Authorities tried to serve the warrant at his law office but were told that he was not around.
Roque’s office staff refused to accept the warrant as they all claimed having no knowledge of his whereabouts.
The House issued the warrant after citing Roque for contempt for the second time.
This, after Roque had promised to provide the documents that had been subpoenaed by the House but failed to do so.
On social media, Roque addressed his critics and followers by asking, “What does my being a private individual have to do with talks on POGOs?”
He added that the House’s QuadCom hearing was depriving him of his “right to privacy,” causing damage to his family relations.
That Committee, he added, was crushing not only his relations with his wife but also his children.
Roque had earlier been detained by the House body for refusing to attend a hearing without valid reason but that detention only lasted 24 hours.
It was his subsequent grilling that may have resulted in his going into hiding.
The questioning of lawmakers appeared to embarrass Roque as parts of it had to do with his “odd” relationship with his “executive assistant” cum traveling companion, who was a former male beauty contest winner.
Roque not only shared a joint account with AR dela Serna, but it was also found that the companion was hired due to several medical conditions of the former spokesman.
It turned out that he had no nursing or caregiving qualifications. Alberto Rodulfo dela Serna was Mr. Supranational Philippines 2016. He went on no less than three trips to Europe in 2023, specifically to Poland, Ukraine, and Italy.
Dela Serna was also found to be residing in a house in Baguio City owned by Roque’s family.
House hearings on POGOs revealed that Roque has been lawyering for Whirlwind Corporation, owner of a Pampanga property that had been leased to Lucky South 99, a Pampanga-based POGO.
Rep. Robert Ace Barbers told local media that there was “overwhelming circumstantial evidence” linking Roque to the POGO hub.
That property was later found to be owned by Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who was determined to be a Chinese citizen. She was stripped of her post and is currently facing human trafficking charges.
Initially, Roque denied being involved with Lucky South 99 but documents seized by authorities had his name as legal counsel for the POGO, one of the biggest in the country.
It was also found that the majority of its workers were undocumented Chinese nationals, many of whom were able to procure fake Immigration documents from Davao.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, which oversees POGOs, also said that Roque had visited them on several occasions, seeking to fast-track the registration of Lucky South 99.
Netizens reminded Roque of his cruel words to former senator Leila de Lima. On her first anniversary under arrest, Roque said he wished she would spend the rest of her life in detention.
He was mocked for saying he had been unfairly denied his freedom after spending a mere day under arrest, whereas De Lima was incarcerated for six years under what were later determined to be trumped up charges.
De Lima, also a former Justice secretary, was cleared of all drug-related charges. All the witnesses against her were actually inmates convicted of heinous crimes.
