Malacañang Palace sees the asylum request of former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in The Netherlands as a tactic to evade the Quad Committee hearings in the House of Representatives.

“Even though he has not yet applied for asylum in the Netherlands, we know that he has not shown up for any Quad Comm hearing. He left the Philippines and never returned, so what does this mean? This is a tactic so that he will not be questioned again about the revelations in the Quad Comm hearing regarding his transactions,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing.

Earlier, Roque said he will be seeking asylum in The Hague as he will be joining former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal defense team.

Roque argued that if his asylum petition is granted, he cannot be arrested or forced to return to the Philippines.

However, Vice President Sara Duterte formed his father’s defense counsel, led by British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman.

Kaufman will lead a five-member core legal defense team for Duterte. VP Sara earlier mentioned that a Filipino lawyer will join the team but has yet to ask someone. She also did not disclose the identities of the team she formed.

Roque is one of the country’s International Criminal Court-accredited lawyers.

The former Palace mouthpiece is facing an arrest order from the Quad Comm after being cited for contempt for failure to submit documents explaining his wealth.

The Justice Department is also looking for him, as he is also facing human trafficking complaints due to his alleged “active participation” in the operations of Lucky South 99, located in Porac, Pampanga. One of the sites used as scam hubs and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).