The Department of Justice (DoJ) said it has not received any communication regarding the report that former Palace spokesperson Harry Roque was apprehended abroad.
“All claims with respect to this remain unverified,” DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said.
Rumors circulated that Roque had been arrested, prompting reporters to verify the report.
However, Roque, in a post, said, “There is no truth to the rumors that I have been arrested. I have a scheduled flight to Vienna, Austria, on 25 November. Details to follow.”
The world is, however, rapidly shrinking for Roque after the cancellation of his passport, alongside those of several others implicated in a human-trafficking ring tied to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). Roque now faces the prospect of being deported from wherever he is.
The Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered the cancellation of the passports of Roque, businesswoman Cassandra Li Ong, and four other officials of POGO firm Lucky South 99.
DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said the canceled passports mean that the “movement of the individuals will be limited as they will no longer be able to exit the foreign country’s borders, much less travel to another state.”
Martinez said that if the accused are in an Asean member state, the DoJ “can easily communicate with said state through the Bureau of Immigration that their passports have been cancelled.”
Currently, Roque is known to be in The Hague, the Netherlands, applying for asylum.
The DoJ said former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TRC) head Dennis Cunanan also had his passport canceled.
Authorities said Ong was reported to have fled the country and was recently monitored in Japan.
Hontiveros backs move
Senator Risa Hontiveros said she supported the cancellation of Ong’s and Roque’s passports.
“It is only right that their passports were canceled, especially since they appear to be evading the law,” Hontiveros said.
“They cannot run forever from their accountabilities,” she added.
Hontiveros urged the authorities to extend the accountability beyond Ong and Roque, calling on all individuals involved in the POGO scam to be brought to justice.
She cited the recent conviction of Alice Guo, emphasizing that she was not the only one who must be held accountable — “everyone involved must face justice.”
The senator vowed continued vigilance to ensure that all individuals and groups linked to human trafficking and POGO-related criminal operations are prosecuted.
