Barbers clarifies: House probe targets Roque’s firms’ Pogo link, not him

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is not the subject of the House of Representatives quad-committee’s investigation, as lawmakers only want to know if it was true that his companies were linked to an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made this clarification on Tuesday, mentioning several times in an interview that they did not require Roque to submit documents just for them to take a peek into his wealth.

Biancham Holdings and PH2 Corporation, companies in which Roque is involved, are being scrutinized for alleged links to Lucky South 99, the Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga which was raided last June 4 due to human trafficking issues.

“‘Yong issue sa wealth niya, hindi ho ‘yon ang importante sa amin eh, wala ho kaming paki-alam kung naging mayaman siya no’ng panahon.  Ang aming question, eh saan ho nanggaling ‘yong pagtaas ng yaman no’ng Biancham Corporation mula ng P125,000 no’ng 2016, na naging P150 million in 2018,” Barbers said.

(The issue with his wealth — that’s not important to us; we do not care if he became rich during that time.  Our questions center on where the increase in the valuation of Biancham Corporation came from, from just P125,000 in 2016, to P150 million in 2018.)

“Bakit importante sa amin ‘yong Biancham Corporation?  Kasi nga ‘yong Biancham Corporation ay siya ang nagma-may ari at merong kaugnayan dito sa Lucky South 99 […] Sino may-ari ng bahay kung saan nakita ang Chinese fugitive?  Sabi niya ‘di ba PH2.  Sino may-ari ng PH2?  Fifty-two percent of PH2 is owned by Biancham Corporation.  Sino si Biancham, sino si PH2?  It’s the Roque family,” he added.

(Why is Biancham Corporation important to us?  Because Biancham Corporation is owned by Roque and has links to Lucky South 99 […] Who owns the house where the Chinese fugitives were seen?  He said it was PH2.  Who owns PH2?  Fifty-two percent of PH2 is owned by Biancham Corporation.  Who is Biancham, who is behind PH2?  It’s the Roque family.)

Barbers was referring to Chinese national Sun Liming, one of the two illegal aliens arrested at a Tuba, Benguet home last July 31.  Sun initially claimed that he was a Cambodian national, but he was revealed to be linked to fraud cases in China, aside from working for Lucky South 99.

READ: Fugitive nabbed in Benguet linked to fraud in China

Previously, Roque admitted that he partly owns the Tuba house and that he used to live in that house after leaving the government, adding that he has “an interest in the corporation that owns it.”

“Ano ang kinalaman ng Chinese fugitive na IT expert ng Lucky South 99 doon sa bahay niya?  ‘Di ba merong circumstantial evidence ‘yon?  Ni-raid ‘yong Porac, Pampanga, nakita do’n sa kwarto ng isang Pilipino by the name of Mr. AR dela Serna, ‘pag bukas ng dokumento nakita do’n ‘legal officer, Atty. Harry Roque’.  ‘Di ba circumstantial evidence din ‘yon?” Barbers asked.

(What is the connection between the Chinese fugitive who is an IT expert for Lucky South 99 and his house? Isn’t that circumstantial evidence? The raid in Porac, Pampanga, found documents in the room of a Filipino named Mr. AR dela Serna, and when they opened them, it showed ‘legal officer, Atty. Harry Roque.’ Isn’t that also circumstantial evidence?)

Furthermore, the lawmaker recalled that Roque once accompanied Whirlwind Corporation stakeholder Katherine Cassandra Ong to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).

According to Barbers, the reason Roque and Ong went to Pagcor was not for Whirlwind, but the Lucky South 99 — which leased land from Whirlwind for the Pogo in Porac.

“Oh pangatlo, pumunta si Atty. Harry Roque kasama si Cassandra Ong sa Pagcor sa opisina ni Chairman Al Tengco.  Ano’ng pinag-usapan ni Harry at ni Cassandra at ni Chairman Al Tengco?  Lucky South 99, hindi naman pinag-usapan ‘yong Whirlwind do’n, ‘di ba?”  he added.

(Third, Roque went with Cassandra Ong to Pagcor, at the office of Chairman Al Tengco.  What did Harry, Cassandra, and Chairman Al Tengco discuss?  Lucky South 99, they did not talk about Whirlwind.)

Roque has denied having anything to do with Lucky South 99, saying several times that he accompanied Ong to Pagcor just to “schedule a payment for Lucky South 99.”

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 hearings 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.

An arrest order was released recently by the quad-committee, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been tracking down Roque ever since.

READ: Roque to challenge House quad-committee’s contempt order in court

But in a video posted on his Facebook page on Monday, Roque maintained that he is not a fugitive of law because it is only a branch of Congress that made the declaration — adding that he will not allow himself to be arrested until the Supreme Court rules on the matter.

READ: Harry Roque told: ‘Flight is often an indication of guilt’