The House quad committee has issued an arrest order for Mylah Roque, the wife of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, for repeatedly ignoring the committee’s summons to attend its investigation into illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
Mrs. Roque failed to appear — for the third time — at the panel’s hearing on Friday, prompting Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Paduano, a committee co-chair, to cite her in contempt.
Previously, the quad committee issued a subpoena ad testificandum, or an order to testify on documents sought, against Mrs. Roque, with which she has yet to comply.
“With that, Mr. Chairman, since we have given Mrs. Roque due process regarding her supposed presence in the hearing, I move to cite her for contempt,” Paduano said, which panel chair, Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, approved.
Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, panel vice chair, subsequently moved for her arrest, an order similarly imposed on Harry Roque, who is now the subject of a manhunt.
Mrs. Roque, a former Pag-IBIG Fund trustee, has been implicated in the POGO scandal for signing a lease agreement with Chinese nationals purportedly linked to a POGO complex in Bamban, Tarlac, and for Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc.’s alleged connection to Lucky South 99 Corp., another POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
The Chinese nationals were arrested in a raid in Benguet in July on a property owned by PH2, a subsidiary of the Roque family’s Biancham Holdings. Mr. Roque previously admitted he had lived in the same house after leaving government.
The property has been rented since January by a Chinese national, Huan Yun, who entered into a lease contract where Mrs. Roque is a signatory.
Lucky South was raided by authorities earlier this year for various criminal activities, including torture and scams. Its authorized representative, Cassandra Li Ong — who was Mr. Roque’s client — has been at the center of House and Senate probes and faces mounting criminal cases, including qualified human trafficking, a non-bailable offense.
Mrs. Roque had previously defied a show-cause order issued by the mega-panel against her, citing her medical condition. In a September letter to the committee, she informed the lawmakers that she was undergoing medical treatment in Singapore and submitted medical certificates. However, the panel deemed the submitted papers insufficient, as they were merely laboratory results from a Clinica Manila.
Mrs. Roque expressed frustration over the committee’s actions, stating, “I flew to Singapore for treatment, but this malicious interpretation proves why this panel never accepted any of my medical certificates, not just from my long-time doctor but even hospital records.”