Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque speaks to reporters in a Zoom interview on Dec. 3, 2024, confirming that he has fled the country and traveled to Abu Dhabi solely to have his counter-affidavit to a qualified human trafficking complaint against him notarized. — SCREENGRAB
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives quad committee has no plans to lift the contempt order against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, his wife, and others, according to its chair, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.
Barbers said the members of the mega panel wanted Roque and others who were cited for contempt to face the probe.
“So far the quad committee has no such decision,” the lawmaker said in Filipino in an interview over dzBB when asked if they plan to lift the contempt order as Christmas Day nears.
“Because they refuse to attend or snub our invitations and disrespect our rules, we think that the contempt order should not be lifted. That’s why we want them to face the committee first because that is what most members want,” he added.
Roque and his wife Mylah are currently out of the country.
In a progress report sent to the National Bureau of Investigation, the quad panel recommended that the Bureau of Immigration must be probed to uncover who helped Roque leave the country undetected.
The committee cited Mylah for contempt and ordered her arrest in October after she failed to respond to a subpoena from the panel.
She was invited to the hearing after her name popped up in some companies owned by her husband. Those firms were believed to be linked to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
The Pogo hub was raided due to human trafficking allegations.
Roque, on the other hand, was also linked to Lucky South 99 after authorities found bank documents and other papers bearing his signature during the raid.
He also admitted later 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.
The former spokesperson was also invited to the quad panel’s probe but was cited for contempt twice 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.