Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he is hoping that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s “escape” from the Philippines is not similar to how dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo (real name: Guo Hua Ping) fled the country.
“A lookout bulletin covers all our border activities, including ingress and egress, and yet he was able to escape. So the immigration is really lacking. I hope this is not Alice Guo part two, who allegedly used boats and all that,” Gatchalian told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.
To recall, Shiela Guo — who was earlier identified to be Alice’s sister — admitted to the Senate that she, Alice, and Wesley Guo left the country via multiple boats to Malaysia.
Gatchalian, however, noted that one cannot travel via ship all the way to the Middle East, which is currently Roque’s present location as confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The lawmaker likewise sounded the alarm about Roque’s supposed escape, noting that high-profile personalities like the former presidential spokesperson should be easily tracked.
While Gatchalian said that it is premature to blame it on the Bureau of Immigration (BI), he said he believes that the agency is the “weakest link” in terms of allowing people to leave the country.
“BI is really at fault here in terms of border control and this is one of the things we will look at,” he added. “He was either allowed to escape by some syndicate and corrupt officials or our system and processes are really weak.”
This prompted the senator to call for an investigation into the matter.
“Not because of Harry Roque alone, but this happened also to Alice Guo and we are certain that it’s happening regularly, we just aren’t aware. So we really need to look at the lapses of the BI,” he said.
The DFA on Tuesday evening said Roque and his wife, Mylah, personally appeared before the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi on November 29, and they were able to present valid passports and “appear to be staying in UAE legally.”
The DFA’s statement came after the BI’s pronouncement that Roque likely left the country through illegal means.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said verification with their records shows that Roque has no recent attempt to depart the country via formal channels.
Viado also said his legal team is already studying filing more complaints against Roque for his supposed illegal travel.
READ: Harry Roque likely left PH illegally; falsification rap eyed – BI
Roque has an arrest order from the House of Representatives after being cited for contempt and ordered detained due to his failure to submit documents that would justify the alleged sudden increase in his wealth.