The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on Tuesday that Mylah Roque, the wife of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, left the country early in September.
Mrs. Roque is being sought by the House of Representatives Quad Committee after she failed to respond to a subpoena.
The House panel is investigating the Roque couple’s alleged involvement with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
The committee issued a show-cause order after she failed to attend hearings, claiming she was undergoing medical treatment in Singapore.
Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Mrs. Roque departed on 3 September, at least 13 days before a lookout bulletin was issued against her on 16 September.
An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) is issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to instruct immigration officers to check for pending arrest warrants or violations against individuals seeking to leave the country.
As for Mr. Roque, the BI said he was still in the country, there being no record of his departure. He, however, remains in hiding from the House panel as well.
Meanwhile, Stephen David, the counsel of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo on Tuesday denied allegations his client has ties to Lin Xunhan, the so-called “big boss” of the illegal POGO.
According to David, Guo’s only connection to the raided POGO hub in her town was through Huang Zhiyang, who bought her 10-hectare property on which the Baofu Land Development Co. was erected.
“She does not know him. She told me she does not know him,” David said in a television interview.
“First of all, she had nothing to do with POGOs except for Huang Zhiyang who bought her land there,” he said.
Lin, who was arrested in Laguna last week, was tagged as the “big boss” of POGOs, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Earlier, a Filipino national, who claimed to be one of Lin’s workers at his POGO, said that Guo, also known as “Madam Hua,” had been transacting business with her boss. Guo has been shown to be the Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping.
“It’s really her. I only found out that she was a mayor and that she was Alice during the Senate hearings. I personally saw her because they had transactions with each other,” the witness said.
The Department of Justice said Lin’s former employee may be enrolled in the Witness Protection Program for her valuable testimony that could link Guo to the illegal POGOs.