FORMER presidential spokesman Harry Roque yesterday said he has accepted “with all humility” the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss his petition for a writ of amparo but said he remains hopeful that the High Court would consider his plea to prohibit the House of Representatives quad committee to invite him or require him to submit additional documents in the future.
“We accept with all humility the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition for amparo, even as we remain hopeful that the Court will continue to look into the rest of our prayers that the Quad Committee’s investigation, which we maintain, is no longer in aid of legislation,” Roque said in a statement posted in his Facebook account.
He also expressed hope that the House would file its comment on his petition within the period fixed by the SC to enable the magistrates to timely act on the petition.
Roque had initially asked the High Court to issue a writ of amparo to prevent prevent the quad committee, which is investigating the illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country, from enforcing its arrest order against him.
The SC on Monday dismissed the petition for a temporary restraining order on the service of arrest order, saying that the writ of amparo was not the right remedy to stop congressional contempt and detention.
Roque had also asked the court to stop the House panel from requiring him to produce and submit additional documents or to attend its future hearings.
The SC has directed the quad committee to comment on the petition.
But lawmakers quickly quashed Roque’s hopes, as they said it was time for the former presidential spokesman to surface and surrender.
“Sumuko ka na, Atty. Roque (Surrender, Atty. Roque),” said Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, one of the chairmen of the quad committee.
Fernandez added: “Hindi na ito ang panahon para magpalusot (This is no longer the time to offer excuses). Atty. Roque should face the music and answer the allegations in the proper forum. Ang batas ang dapat manaig. Hindi dapat itago ni Roque ang kanyang sarili sa likod ng mga technicalities o mga writ na wala namang basehan (The law should prevail. Roque shouldn’t hide behind technicalities or writs that have no basis).”
Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, cited the need for individuals in positions of power or influence to set a good example by following the law after Roque’s repeated attempts to deflect accountability.
“Nakakabahala na sa halip na mag-cooperate, ang ginagawa ng iba ay palaging tinatakbuhan ang kanilang mga pananagutan (It’s worrisome that instead of cooperating, some people run away from accountability). The wheels of justice are turning, and no amount of legal gymnastics will protect those complicit in these crimes,” he said.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the overall chair of the quad committe, also urged Roque to turn himself in to the House and cooperate with the ongoing investigation, which has uncovered alarming connections between POGOs and other illicit activities, including illegal drug syndicates and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“The quad committee is uncovering layers of criminal activities tied to POGOs, and we need full transparency from everyone involved,” Barbers, who also chairs the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs. “Kung walang itinatago si Atty. Roque, bakit siya nagtatago? (If Atty. Roque is not hiding anything, why is he in hiding?) The public deserves to know the truth.”
Barbers encouraged Roque to respect the legal process “rather than resort to actions that sow confusion among the public. “If he believes he is innocent, he should welcome the opportunity to clear his name in a proper legal forum. Trying to escape through technicalities only raises more suspicions,” he said.
“This investigation is not just about POGOs; it’s about dismantling a complex web of criminality that threatens our society,” Barbers said.
In a phone interview with reporters, Barbers said the quad committee will lift Roque’s contempt citation once the required documents prove that he has no connection with POGOs.
“If in these documents that we require of him will prove that he has no participation or any involvement in the illegal Pogo operations of Lucky South 99, then we would be more than willing to perhaps mend ways with Atty. Harry Roque,” he said.
Roque was cited in contempt for the second time last month and was ordered detained by the joint panel for his refusal to submit documents to prove that he has no connection to POGOs.
The committee has ordered Roque to submit his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for the years 2016 to 2022, copies of the documents related to the transfer of Biancham’s shareholdings, and his 2018 income tax return, which was filed in 2019.
The former Duterte spokesman’s name was linked to POGOs after a house in Tuba, Benguet, reportedly owned by him, was raided, resulting in the arrest of two Chinese nationals linked to an illegal POGO operation in Bamban, Tarlac.
A practicing lawyer, Roque has admitted having an “interest” in the corporation that owns the Benguet property.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco has also revealed that Roque lobbied for Lucky South 99 in July 2023 when he accompanied Cassandra Li Ong, who is the alleged representative of Lucky South 99, a raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, who visited his office to discuss the firm’s unpaid arrears amounting to $500,000.
Roque’s wife Mylah was also summoned to the hearing after lawmakers questioned her husband about his business and financial dealings, seeking to establish his connection to POGOs, particularly Lucky South 99. The panel want to question the couple about their business Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc., which was founded in 2014.
It was found that initially, Roque and his wife each held 49.9 percent of the company’s shares until the majority was transferred to lawyer Percival Ortega, who now holds 99.99 percent.
Biancham’s audited financial report however showed the company’s cash balance surged from a measly P125,300 in 2014 to P67.7 million in 2018, during the peak of POGOs under the Duterte administration. — With Wendell Vigilia
