Harry Roque —PHOTO FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FB PAGE
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque should man up and air his criticisms in front of the House of Representatives’ quad-committee instead of saying his piece on social media, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said on Tuesday.
In an interview at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Barbers was asked about Roque’s latest accusation that the quad-panel is just power-tripping and committed grave abuse of discretion in requiring supposedly private documents.
Barbers said Roque keeps on saying things when they have just been asking for documents that would prove or disprove his alleged involvement with Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).
“Kailangan ba mag-power-tripping ng mga quad-comm chairs?” said Barbers, one of the chairpersons of the quad panel. “Ako ho, graduating po ako, kailangan ko bang mag-power-trip? Alam niyo maraming sinasabi itong si Atty. Harry Roque sa likod ng quad-comm o sa labas ng quad-comm eh, sabihin mo sa harapan namin ‘yan.”
(Do the quad-comm chairs need to do that? I am a graduating lawmaker, do I need to power-trip? You know, Atty. Harry Roque is saying a lot of things behind or outside the quad-comm, he should say that in front of the panel.)
“Itong hinihingi naming dokumento sa inyo ay may kaugnayan doon sa iyong alleged involvement dito sa usapin sa illegal Pogo. Magpakalalaki ka, humarap ka dito sa amin, hindi ‘yong nakatalikod ka palagi sa quad, doon ka nagsasalita,” he added.
(These documents we are asking for are related to your alleged involvement with illegal Pogos. Man up, face us, and refrain from issuing statements when you are not facing the quad-committee.)
According to Barbers, they are not interested in how Roque’s wealth increased; rather, the panel wants to know how Biancham Holdings, the company of Roque’s family, progressed to a multi-million business from having just P150,000 in 2015.
“It’s not connected (Roque’s documents) but it is connected to the company linked to the Pogos. Just to be clear, our questions, we have no interest in his wealth. What we are looking for is the link between Biancham Corporation and PH2 Corporation, which he owns, to Lucky South 99,” Barbers explained.
Lucky South 99 is the Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga which was raided for human trafficking issues. Roque was linked to Lucky South 99 after documents bearing his signature were found by authorities during the raid.
“If you became richer by 10 times compared to your net worth before, we don’t care. But explain to us why the net worth of your corporation rose, which is being linked to Lucky South 99,” Barbers said.
Roque admitted later on that he accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, an incorporator of Whirlwind Corporation that leased land to the raided Pogo hub in Porac, to settle fees with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
Due to these alleged ties, the quad-committee invited Roque to the hearings.
READ: Roque: Pagcor chief did not say I lobbied for illegal Pogo firms
Roque was cited for contempt by the quad-committee for the second time after he skipped the hearing last September 12 and refused to comply with a subpoena on key documents, like his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and other tax declarations.
The quad panel recently released an arrest order against Roque, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been tracking him down.
In a video posted on his Facebook page on Monday, Roque maintained that he is not a fugitive because it is only a branch of Congress that made such a declaration.
READ: Harry Roque told: ‘Flight is often an indication of guilt’
“Will I have myself arrested or not? Well I believe that if Congress violates limits on its powers and becomes guilty of grave abuse of power and grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction, the order is illegal,” Roque said.
“I subscribe to the need for the Supreme Court to decide on the matter, that’s why I will wait for the Supreme Court’s decision,” he added.
READ: Roque to challenge House quad-committee’s contempt order in court