House of Representatives Issues Arrest Order vs. Harry Roque over POGO Accusations
HARRY ROQUE – The staff of the former spokesman of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in his law office in Makati refused to receive the arrest warrant aginst the lawyer.
One of the trending issues in the Philippine political arena now is the illegal operation of some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs. In his recent State of the Nation Address, Pres. Bongbong Marcos announced a ban on POGOs in the country.
However, amid the ban declared by the Chief Executive, the investigation on the illegal POGO operations in the Philippines continues. Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was arrested in Indonesia. She is accused of involvement in the illegal POGO operations in Tarlac.
Cassandra Ong was also detained in Indonesia and sent back to the Philippines. She is the alleged representative of the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in Porac, Pampanga. Another known personality who is facing illegal POGO involvement is former presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
The accusations against Harry Roque started when a letter of him was found in a raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga. He was accused of being the legal counsel of the Lucky South 99.
Roque denied the allegations but he admitted that he provided a legal counsel to Whirlwind Corporation, the alleged company that leased the property to Lucky South 99. The House of Representatives issued an arrest warrant against the former presidential spokesman.
However, based on an article on GMA News, a staff at the law firm of Harry Roque in Makati refused to receive the arrest warrant against the former presidential Spokesman. According to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, the House Sergeant at Arms reported that the staff of Roque did not receive the arrest warrant they delivered around 9 am today.
Based on the report, Velasco said that the elements of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) are still at the law firm of Roque “waiting to effect the arrest”. The contempt citation against the lawyer requires his detention in the House of Representatives.
Previously, Harry Roque tagged the House probe as a “Kangaroo court” and has allegedly failed to determine the crime he committed.