Senator Risa Hontiveros challenged former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claims on Wednesday after he accused her of using the Senate investigation to boost her popularity ahead of the midterm elections in May.

In a statement, Hontiveros, whose Senate term runs until 2028, questioned whether Roque’s "travel" was an attempt to evade prosecution for his alleged involvement in human trafficking.

"In his own words, he explains his extended disappearance as ‘flight from a congressional contempt.’ That is a clear admission of his liability for the crime of disobedience to summons by Congress under Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code," she said.

"It is also extremely ironic that Roque is talking about his right to travel, when the Bureau of Immigration has declared that it is studying the filing of cases against him for leaving the country via illegal means," she added.

Roque reportedly left the country last year amid the congressional probe into his alleged links to the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga. He has an outstanding contempt order from the House of Representatives for repeatedly failing to attend its hearings.

Hontiveros reiterated that initial findings from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) suggest Roque may have used falsified immigration documents or received assistance from unscrupulous individuals to leave the country.

"That is on top of the qualified human trafficking complaint he is already facing in connection with his ties to the massive, crime-ridden POGO complex in Porac, Pampanga," she said.

“If it was really just travel, why was your departure from the country illegal — and why don’t you want to come back, Harry Roque?” she added.

Roque responds: ‘No arrest warrant’

Following the Senate hearing, Roque took to social media to criticize Hontiveros.

"To prevent her name from being overshadowed by the noise of the elections, Senator Risa Hontiveros called for a hearing where my name was mentioned," he said in a statement.

"For the record, there is no warrant of arrest issued against me. Flight from a congressional contempt, I wish to underscore, cannot be the evidence of anything. As DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, I am being pursued not as a criminal or fugitive but as a resource person," he added.

Roque insisted that he had the legal right to travel, saying, "I have no hold departure order and have the right to travel. Is this hard to understand, Senator Risa?"

He also dismissed reports about his whereabouts as "fake news."

BI and NICA track Roque’s movements

BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. told the Senate panel that the last confirmed information on Roque and his wife, Mylah, placed them in the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai, in December.

"We can’t recall the dates anymore but the last information we had on the couple, the Roques, is that the wife went to Singapore and then traveled to Dubai. There’s also sightings of Harry Roque in Dubai," Manahan said.

"There was also information that they left sometime in December but we don’t have any more information after that," he added.

When asked whether Roque had traveled to Shanghai and then to Macau, Manahan said the BI had no records of such movements but confirmed that Roque had been to Japan.

“He was not able to go to the US because he was denied upon check in. The Japan police or immigration have no holdings. After that, we don’t have any information,” he added.

The BI confirmed in October that Mylah, a former trustee of the Pag-IBIG Fund, had left the country, while her husband, Harry, likely departed through backdoor channels.

Tawi-Tawi exit?

National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director Ferlu Silvio confirmed suspicions that Roque may have used an unauthorized route to leave the country.

“There is a strong possibility that he used that route with his flight details from Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi,” Silvio said.

"Of course, without delving into specifics, our monitoring of his travel records remains continuous, including his movements in Dubai, Macau, and Japan," she added.

Silvio previously said Tawi-Tawi is a known illegal exit point used to smuggle people to Malaysia, particularly to Sabah. This route was allegedly used by dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo when she left the country in July.

"The Tawi-Tawi area is much closer, Your Honor. In fact, during and after the pandemic, many of our fellow Filipinos were repatriated from Sabah back to Zamboanga through what the DFA refers to as 'transfer.' On average, around 400 to 500 people traveled by ship in each trip," she said.

She added: "So, if we consider how many people were able to return to the Philippines through this route, it shows just how easy it is to smuggle individuals out of Zamboanga, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. If that many are being sent back from Sabah to Zamboanga, imagine how many are also illegally entering Malaysia."

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed in December that Roque and his wife availed themselves of notarial services from the Philippine post in the United Arab Emirates.

"The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi extended consular services to Mr. and Mrs. Roque, as required for documents executed abroad for use in the Philippines," the DFA said in a statement.

"They were able to present valid passports and appear to be staying in the UAE legally," it added.