MANILA, Philippines — Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said on Thursday that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque must face the allegations on his ties with Pogos (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) after calling himself a “fugitive of Congress.”
“Kay Harry Roque na rin nanggaling na siya ay pugante (It came from Harry Roque himself that he is a fugitive). It is imperative that he faces the serious allegations about his professional and financial ties to Pogos,” Diokno said in a statement.
In a Facebook video posted last Monday, Roque said that he is not a fugitive of the law but of the Congress.
“Hindi po ako pugante ng batas. Mali po ‘yong sinasabi ni Ace Barbers na ako raw ay pugante. Hindi po… Wala po akong kasong hinaharap sa piskalya, doon sa hukuman. Ang kaso ko lang po ay ayaw kong ibigay ang mga dokumento na wala naman pong kinalaman sa imbestigasyon ng Pogo,” Roque said.
(I am not a fugitive of the law. What Ace Barbers said that I am a fugitive is wrong. I am not… I am not facing any charges in the fiscal, in the court. The only complaint I am facing is my refusal to give documents that are not related to Pogo investigations.)
READ: Harry Roque told: Man up, attend House hearing on Pogos
“Hindi po ako pugante dahil ako po ay lumabag sa batas. Pugante ako sa Kongreso lamang. Wala po akong pakialam dahil ang tingin ko naman, kung ako ay nacite in contempt of Congress, ang Kongreso naman po ang cited in contempt of the people of the Philippines,” Roque added.
(I’m not a fugitive because I broke the law. I’m only a fugitive from Congress. I don’t care, because in my view, if I’m cited in contempt of Congress, then Congress is the one cited in contempt of the people of the Philippines.)
The House quad-committee, which is currently investigating the issues related to illegal Pogos, cited Roque again for contempt last Thursday and ordered his detention in the House of Representatives for refusing to submit the documents required by the subpoena.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said that Roque’s documents such as Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) would determine if he was associated with Pogos.
Diokno then said that Roque should face the quad panel hearings if he was not hiding anything.
“Kung wala naman siyang tinatago, bakit niya iniiwasan ang quad-comm? Yung hinihingi sa kanya na SALN at iba pang dokumento ay kayang-kaya niyang ibigay, at angkop sa sinasagawang imbestigasyon,” Diokno noted.
(If he’s not hiding anything, why is he avoiding the quad-comm? He can easily provide the SALN and other documents they are requesting from him, which are appropriate for the investigation being conducted.)
Roque has been under scrutiny for his alleged ties to Pogos after his bank documents were found at a raided Pogo hub in Pampanga.
Last July, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission revealed that Roque served as the legal counsel of Lucky South 99 Corp. The former presidential spokesperson has repeatedly denied ties with Pogos.