Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (PHOTO FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FB PAGE)
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives quad-committee will not take former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s tirades against them lightly, Surigao del Norte 2nd Dist. Rep. Ace Barbers said in an online interview on Friday.
Roque earlier said in his Facebook post on Thursday that he will no longer attend “kangaroo hearings” of the House panel.
“Noong naiipit siya at hinihingan namin siya ng dokumento, doon siya kung ano-ano ang kanyang binibitawang salita outside of the Congress, pero no’ng nasa loob siya, very submissive naman siya… Nagvolunteer siya na magsasubmit ng mga dokumentong hinihingi namin,” Barbers said.
(When he felt cornered and we asked for documents from him, that’s when he started saying a lot of things outside Congress, but when he was inside, he was very submissive… He volunteered to submit documents that we asked from him.)
“Ngayon, he’s now invoking a lot of kung ano-ano sinasabi niya. Doon sa kanyang pronouncements in social media, tinitira niya, sinisira niya itong quadcom. We will not just take it sitting down,” Barbers added.
(Now, he’s invoking a lot of whatever he is saying. In his pronouncements on social media, he is making a lot of tirades against quadcom. We will not take it sitting down.)
The panel, which is currently investigating the issues related to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), on Thursday, cited Roque for contempt and ordered anew his detention in the House of Representatives after he failed to comply with the lower chamber’s subpoena.
The former presidential spokesperson has been asked to submit his SALN from 2016-2022 (statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth), his and his wife Maila’s income tax returns from 2014-2022 and their respective medical certificates, the extrajudicial settlement of the estate, including tax returns of his late aunt, and the deed of sale with tax returns and transfer of property of the 1.8-hectare property in Multinational Village, Parañaque, in which his family sold.
Further, the lawmaker said that Roque can say whatever he wants but the committee has established his material presence in Pogo probes.
“He can say everything he wants to say but the fact remains that dito sa investigation na ito, napakaimportante niya. Napakamaterial niya doon sa iniimbestigahan nating illegal Pogo. Bakit? Because may overwhelming circumstantial evidence na established ng ating committee during the time na umaattend siya,” the lawmaker noted.
(He can say everything he wants to say but the fact remains that in this investigation, he is very important. He is very material to our investigation of illegal Pogo. Why? Because the committee has established overwhelming circumstantial evidence during the time he attended [the hearings].)
In Roque’s Facebook post, he slammed the panel’s move as “political harassment” and power-tripping.
“I no longer expect truth and fairness from a Kangaroo Court called QuadCom. Mas pinili ko nang huwag na akong humarap sa kangaroo hearings ng QuadCom. Nagsasayang lang kayo ng pera ng taumbayan sa kangaroo hearings na wala naman napapatunayan,” his post read.
(I no longer expect truth and fairness from a Kangaroo Court called QuadCom. I choose to not face the kangaroo hearings of QuadCom. You are just wasting the public’s funds on these kangaroo hearings that will not even prove anything.)
Roque has been under scrutiny for his alleged ties to Pogos after his bank documents were found in a raided Pogo hub in Pampanga.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission in July revealed that Roque served as the legal counsel of Lucky South 99 Corp.
The former presidential spokesperson repeatedly denied his links to Pogos.