Roque lays alternative plan: ‘Surrender, file a petition for bail’
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque —PHOTO GRABBED FROM ROQUE’S FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that aside from waiting for judicial relief, his alternative plan is to surrender to the Philippine government and file a petition for bail regarding the human trafficking case filed against him.
In an interview with journalist Carlos Conde, clips of which were released on Tuesday, Roque was asked about his next plans for his case, citing that he has already been staying in the Netherlands for six months.
In response, Roque said that he will “continue to avail of judicial reliefs.”
READ: Harry Roque: DOJ files human trafficking raps against him, others
“Well, of course, I continue to avail of judicial reliefs. They filed a nonbailable case against me, and all the reliefs that I’m availing of do not require my physical attendance in the Philippines,” Roque said.
READ: PNP chief Torre dares Harry Roque to face human trafficking case
“The alternative is to surrender and file a petition for bail, which would probably take anywhere from six months to one year, and be incarcerated in what I have argued in one of my pleadings in the Supreme Court to be torturous conditions,” he pointed out.
“So the plan is to wait for judicial relief, and secondly, wait for hopefully the end of the Marcos regime, which I hope will happen earlier than 2028,” Roque further said.
READ: Roque’s asylum request in Netherlands denied — Remulla
When asked if he was referring to the Philippine government when he mentioned surrendering, Roque said, “Yes, because I have an outstanding warrant for a nonbailable offense for a charge of syndicated trafficking, with no person claiming I recruited them. It’s really a very odd case.”
Meanwhile, Roque was also asked if he believes that surrender would be the only option if he were ever going to come back to the Philippines.
The former presidential spokesperson answered, “Of course, because there’s an outstanding warrant of arrest, and there’s no way I can enjoy any form of liberty, given that warrant of arrest, and until I can file for bail, then I would have to be behind bars.”
Roque, along with several others, has been issued an arrest warrant for violating Section 4(1), in relation to Section 6 (c) of Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
The case filed against Roque and others stemmed from their alleged involvement in the operations of the Philippine offshore gaming operator and alleged scam hub, Lucky South 99, located in Porac, Pampanga.
In the same interview, Roque clarified that his asylum application with the Dutch government was not rejected, emphasizing that it is still pending.
“No, not true at all. I’ve corrected that already, many, many times. And of course, there’s a Dutch man who keeps on saying I’ve been rejected, and my response is, ‘How many times can you be rejected?’ Come on,” he said. /cb
