Roque admits to partly own ‘raided’ house in Benguet

Former presidential spokesperson lawyer Harry Roque —Inquirer photo/Richard A. Reyes

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday admitted that he partly owns the house inside an upscale subdivision in Tuba town, Benguet province, that authorities “raided” on Saturday for allegedly being used by foreigners linked to the illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Bamban town of Tarlac.

“I used to live in that house when I left the government and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it,” Roque said at the resumption of the Senate hearing on Pogo-related crimes.

“In fact, in the near future, I am concluding a transaction for me to take over the entire corporation that owns that house,” he said. “I do not deny that I have an interest in that corporation.”

READ: Roque’s bank documents found in raided Pampanga Pogo – PAOCC

Replying to a question by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, the former Palace official said the house in the posh Pinewoods Golf and Country Club in Tuba belonged to PH2 Corp., which, in turn, was owned primarily by Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc.

READ: Roque called to Senate, House hearings on Pogos

Roque, who previously served as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s mouthpiece, said that he and his wife, Mylah, were both shareholders of Biancham.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has been leading the Senate inquiry, presented a copy of Biancham’s certificate of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that Roque’s former executive assistant, Alberto Rodulfo dela Serna, was also included as a stockholder.

Likewise named as among Biancham’s shareholders was Inquirer columnist Joel Butuyan, Roque’s former law firm partner.

Rented out

According to Roque, the house was being rented since January by a certain Wan Yun, a Chinese national who had submitted a working visa in entering into a lease contract with PH2.

“[That means] she has the right to be in the Philippines,” he said.

Wan, he added, was actually the “partner” of Khuon Moeurn, who was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Immigration and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission along with a female Chinese national named Wang Keping during the government operation on Saturday.

Roque then claimed that the operation was part of a supposed plot to “link” him to the operation of illegal Pogo entities.

“I really want to see the evidence showing that that man (Moeurn) was involved in the Pogo in Bamban. Because if there’s none, there’s really a concerted effort to link me to Pogos, which I have already vehemently denied,” he said.

But Hontiveros said Moeurn, who claimed to be a Cambodian national, was actually a “very high-level” Chinese fugitive who had evaded arrest in his home country.

“[He] is actually a wanted fugitive in China. The Cambodian passport held by the man is fake,” Hontiveros said at the end of the five-hour proceedings.

“He’s really Chinese and as per our Chinese informant, he’s on the red notice [list of] fugitives, very high-level, and he has already defrauded 100,000 people. So this person’s [criminal] record is really bad,” she warned.