Photo from Mylah Roque/FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines — Harry Roque’s wife, Mylah, hit Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Ace Barbers, calling him an “abusive individual” for claiming that she is an incorporator of Lucky South 99, a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo).
In a social media post on Saturday, Mylah said there was no paper linking her to Lucky South 99, which Pampanga hub authorities raided in June over reported illegal activities.
Barbers is the presider of the House quad committee probing into Pogos and the “drug war” under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Harry Roque served as presidential spokesperson during Duterte’s term.
“Ace Barbers is an abusive individual. He abuses his immunity from libel with a claim that I am an incorporator of Lucky South even when there is no single document linking me to it,” Mylah wrote on Facebook.
READ: Barbers spurns remarks of Roque’s wife: I’m not an abusive person
On Tuesday, Barbers underscored the importance of investigating Biancham Holdings, especially its alleged links to Lucky South 99. Roque previously said that he and his wife Mylah are shareholders of Biancham.
Roque also admitted before that he partly owns the house in a subdivision in Tuba, Benguet, which authorities raided in July as it was allegedly being used by foreigners linked to Pogos. The house belonged to PH2 Corp., which was primarily owned by Biancham.
The House quad panel investigating the alleged criminal activities of Pogos on Thursday issued a show cause order against Mylah Roque in a bid to compel her to appear in its hearings.
Barbers said Roque’s wife flew to Singapore in the first week of September and that the medical certificate she submitted to the panel to justify her absence in the hearing was not “acceptable.”
READ: Barbers clarifies: House probe targets Roque’s firms’ Pogo link, not him
In her Facebook post, however, Mylah said she flew to Singapore “for treatment” but Barber’s “malicious interpretation proves why his panel never accepted any of my medical certificates, not just from my long-time doctor but even hospital records.”
Roque’s purported relations to Pogo came about when the House quad committee probe discovered that bank documents seized from the Luck South 99 raid bear the name of the former spokesman of Duterte.
Last July, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission revealed that Roque served as the legal counsel of Lucky South 99. But Roque has repeatedly denied involvement with Pogos.