Authorities of House of Representatives Fail to Locate Harry Roque amid Detention Order
HARRY ROQUE – A lawmaker said that the former presidential Spokesman has yet to be located and the House of Representatives considers him a “fugitive”.
One of the issues in the Philippines that hooked the attention of countless Filipinos and several departments of the government is the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations. Individuals who are accused of link to the illegal POGOs were invited by the Senate and the House of Representatives for the investigation.
Attorney Harry Roque, the presidential spokesman during the term of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, is one of those accused in the illegal POGO operations in Porac, Pampanga. It came after a letter of Roque was found in the raided hub in Porac, Pampanga.
Roque was accused of being the head of the legal department of the raided POGO hub, the Lucky South 99. He denied the allegations. Roque even dared that he will expose the POGO protectors at the Senate hearing but it did not happen.
Previously, the House of Representatives issued a detention order against Harry Roque but he is still missing. He was cited for contempt by the House Quad Committee for failing to submit the documents related to the illegal POGO investigations.
The authorities visited the law firm of Roque in Makati but his staff refused to accept the arrest order. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the House Sergeant-at-Arms is looking for the former presidential Spokesman for three (3) days already but they could not find him.
According to Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel, the House Sergeant-at-Arms are already working in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP) but they still could not find Roque. The lawmaker also expressed that the former presidential Spokesman is allegedly into hiding since Friday and he is considered a “fugitive” by the House of Representatives.
“Since Friday he’s into hiding, we already consider him as a fugitive,” Pimentel expressed.
Based on the report, if Harry Roque is still no show at the House hearing on Thursday, Pimentel said that the House Quad Committee members may request a hold-departure order against him. He stressed that he is just being invited to an inquiry and no cases have been filed yet.
According to Pimentel, if Roque has nothing to hide, he does not have to refused from showing up during the committee’s hearing. Based on the report, a subpoena was also issued against Mylah Roque, the wife of the lawyer, but she also refused to attend the hearings set by the lower chamber.