Palace hits Roque over blame game

Malacañang on Wednesday pushed back against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claim that the Marcos administration is behind his decision to leave the country amid mounting legal troubles.

In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro criticized Roque for allegedly trying to pin his legal woes on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and the current administration.

“Unang-una po, mukhang isinisisi pa po niya ang naging kalagayan niya at ang kinahinatnan niya kay Pangulo at sa administrasyon (First of all, it seems he’s blaming his situation and what happened to him on the President and the administration),” Castro said.

“Hindi naman po niya yata kasama ang Pangulo nang siya ay nakipag-deal sa Whirlwind at sa Lucky South 99 (It’s not like he was with the President when he made deals with Whirlwind and Lucky South 99),” she continued.

Roque is facing allegations of qualified human trafficking in connection with the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99.

In May, arrest warrants were issued against Roque, Cassandra Ong, and 48 others linked to the alleged scam hub.

Despite the charges, Roque insisted he is a victim of political persecution.

"I am a victim of political persecution by the Marcos government because I am an ally of the Dutertes," he previously said.

Castro, however, rejected Roque’s narrative, defending the validity of the charges against him.

“Paano niyang isisisi ito sa Pangulo at sa administrasyon? So sa mga ganitong klaseng obstructionist, sana po ay ihinto nila at maging tunay na Pilipino (How could he blame this on the President and the administration? These kinds of obstructionists should stop and start being true Filipinos),” she said.

Roque earlier dared the Philippine government to “come and get” him while he is in Europe.

Castro previously said the administration is not rushing to act until official processes are in motion, noting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is just waiting for a formal notice regarding Roque's asylum application.

She also told Roque not to downplay the intelligence reports the government has been receiving about him, and said his political asylum application is being closely monitored.