Barbers urges probe into Harry Roque's alleged illegal escape from Phl

The House quad committee renewed its call to authorities on Thursday to initiate a full-blown investigation into the supposed illegal escape from the Philippines of lawyer Harry Roque, former spokesperson of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, in the face of a manhunt. 

Panel chairperson Ace Barbers also wants the officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to be part of the probe amid suspicions that Roque had their imprimatur, enabling him to flee the country.

“We should really look into it and [how] that happened, who was he complicit with, and those people should be punished and held accountable,” Barbers said in an interview. 

Roque was subject to an immigration lookout bulletin order as early as August. In September, he was cited in contempt and ordered arrested by the quad comm for repeatedly snubbing its summons to explain his ties with Lucky South 99 Corp., an illegal POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) firm in Porac, Pampanga, raided earlier this year over allegations of unlawful activities.

Later, he confirmed that he was already out of the Philippines and is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The BI had categorically denied having a hand in Roque’s escape and claimed they are mulling filing cases against him. They suspect that he fled the country through illegal means, citing official records that there was no attempt that he left the country through formal channels.

However, Barbers did not buy BI’s alibi and is keen that some of its officers may be in cahoots with the erstwhile Malacanang spokesperson.

“Yun ang sabi nila [na walang sabwatan]. Kaya nga dapat tignan nating mabuti paano nakalabas yan? San dumaan yan? Lumangoy ba yan papuntang Middle East mula rito sating bansa? May pinagdaanan yan at alam ng mga ahensya natin kung papano at saan dumaan yan. 

"That's what they claimed [that there was no conspiracy.] That's why we should look closely at how [Roque] got out… He went through something, and our agencies know how and where it was,” the chair insisted. “[We] can't deny [he] is a well-known personality. [He] can't just go away without an accomplice.”

Barbers disclosed that members of the quad committee are also calling for a rigorous probe into how agencies responsible for implementing the lookout bulletin could just allow personalities like Roque — not to mention dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo — to easily escape the country in the face of congressional scrutiny.

Roque has been headstrong that he will not return to the Philippines unless ordered by the Supreme Court or until the end of the current Congress. His wife, Mylah Roque, is also subject to an arrest warrant for similar accusations.

Roque is currently facing qualified human trafficking — a non-bailable offense — for his alleged involvement in the Lucky South 99, which he repeatedly denied lawyering for.

He has been implicated in the POGO scandal after confirming that he escorted his client, Cassandra Li Ong, Lucky South 99's authorized representative, to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation to settle its unpaid taxes projected to be at least $500,000 for the continued operation of the POGO hub. 

The quad comm has called the Anti-Money Laundering Council to launch an investigation into the acquisition of Roque’s assets and freeze the same. 

Previously, lawmakers raised doubt about the abrupt increase of Roque’s assets under Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc. — a family-owned company — which skyrocketed to P68,775,800 in 2018 from P125,300 in 2014 and P3,125,000 in 2015. 

Roque, however, attributed this to the sale of 1.8 hectares of their family property in the Multinational Village in Paranaque, which was sold for roughly P260 million.