Roque, 2 others slapped with trafficking

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has filed non-bailable charges of qualified trafficking in persons against former presidential spokesperson Herminio “Harry” L. Roque and two others.

The charges are connected to the alleged criminal activities of Lucky South 99 Corporation, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga, which was recently raided by law enforcement.

The PAOCC and PNP-CIDG filed the complaint before the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday, 28 October, as a supplemental submission to the initial complaint dated 10 September.

Roque has been accused of qualified trafficking in persons in violation of Sections 4(a), 4(j)(1), 5(a), 5(f), and 5(g), in relation to Sections 9 and 6(h) of Republic Act 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended.

The two other respondents named in the supplemental complaint were identified as Mercedes Peralta Macabasa and Ley Tan.

“Respondent Roque benefited from the fruits of the trafficking in persons operations and other illegal activities of Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind, and he kept silent about it. As an officer of Lucky South 99, respondent Roque knew that there was something not right about what was happening inside the compound, and he intentionally withheld such information from the police or any law enforcement agents,” the charge sheet read in part.

Whirlwind Corporation owned the property leased by Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.

The complaint also stated that Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chairman Alejandro Tengco and assistant vice president Jezza Mariz Fernandez confirmed during the 10 July Senate hearing that Roque was not only a lawyer for the Porac POGO but also “an officer of Lucky South 99 in connection with its application for an Internet Gaming License.”