Harry Roque warned of contempt after heated exchange with Hontiveros 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday warned former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque of contempt after engaging in a heated exchange with Senator Risa Hontiveros.

Gatchalian made the warning after Roque repeatedly cut Hontiveros short as she asked the former presidential spokesperson during the continuation of the Senate investigation into the raided POGO hubs.

"Atty. Roque, please be reminded to respect the chairperson," Gatchalian said as he cut the exchange between Roque and Hontiveros.

Roque maintained that he is "very respectful" to the committee chairperson, but Gatchalian disagreed.

"Paanong respectful eh nagsasalita siya sinasabayan mo siya? One more and I will cite you in contempt and if you disrespect the chairperson, we'll be compelled to cite you in contempt," Gatchalian warned.

"'Wag mo naman sabayan siya. Nagsasalita s'ya. Siya ang chairperson," Gatchalian went on.

Roque toned down his voice after Gatchalian's warning and apologized.

"Okay your honor. I understand. I apologize," Roque said.

Before Gatchalian's warning, Hontiveros was asking Roque about his supposed link to the raided POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga--Lucky South 99--which named the former presidential spokesperson as its legal head in the organization chart that it submitted to Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporation for the reapplication of their license.

Roque accused Hontiveros of "insinuating" that he is a lawyer for Lucky South 99, which the senator refuted.

"Excuse me, the chair is not insinuating anything. The chair and the members of the committee have been asking questions based on the testimonies, sworn testimonies of PAGCOR Chair [Alejandro] Tengco, Atty. [Jessa] Fernandez of PAGCOR and other resource persons," she said.

The former presidential spokesperson maintained that he was never a lawyer for Lucky South 99 or any POGO firm in the country.

"I maintain as an officer of the courts and under oath before the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines that I have never acted as legal counsel for Lucky South 99 or for any other POGO," Roque said.

He explained that he only accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong to the meeting with PAGCOR in July 2023 because Whirlwind Corporation, the lessor of the land where the POGO firm was built, is one of his clients.

Ong is the corporate secretary of Whirlwind.

But Hontiveros pointed out that the topic of that meeting with PAGCOR pertained to matters of Lucky South 99 and not Whirlwind Corporation.

Roque agreed with Hontiveros, but explained the Whirlwind is also a service provider of the Lucky South 99.

In maintaining that he is not connected to Lucky South 99, Roque questioned the credibility of the organizational chart of the POGO firm to PAGCOR.

"Wala po tayong ebidensya na nagpapakita kung sino nagsubmit talaga ng dokumento pero PAGCOR can confirm kung sino talaga nagsubmit ng mga dokumentong yan," Roque said.

However, Hontiveros pointed out that it is part of "due diligence as a lawyer" to check the documents submitted to PAGCOR since the matters discussed during the meeting were related to Lucky South 99.

"Due diligence, bilang abogado don sa mga diskusyon na 'yon, alam niyo kung ano yung mga dokumentong sinumite. Alam niyo yung mga official attachment na nakalagay don," she said.

At this point, Roque confronted Hontiveros anew for insisting that he was allegedly the legal head of Lucky South 99.

"Madam, nagagalit po kayo dahil sinasabi niyo, [binibigyan] ko ng mga salita ang inyong mga bibig... pero ngayon po sinabi niyo, you again insinuated that I have anything to do with the document," he said.

Hontiveros cut him short and told Roque to "stop using [the] offensive verb 'insinuating.'"

Roque apologized and said that he only knew of the organizational chart through Tengco's statement in the last Senate hearing on illegal POGOs.

"Nalaman ko lang po ang pangalan ko na nasa chart during the last hearing. Ang sinasabi ko po under oath and as an officer of the court, hindi ko po in-authorize ang paglagay ng pangalan ko doon. Wala pong kinalaman sa paggawa ng dokumento na 'yan at wala pong kahit anong testimonya na nagsasabi na pumayag po ako and I deny that under oath," he said.

At one point, Roque told the senators that the rules of the court should apply in proving facts during Senate hearings.

But this did not go well with Hontiveros who told Roque that he doesn't need to "lecture" the Senate panel on their own rules.

While Roque said he is just citing this principle as a lawyer and as a professor of constitutional law, Hontiveros said it is "not necessary."

"I'm sorry, madam, but I'm a resource person invited. I was asked to answer. Hindi ko po maintindihan pag gusto niyo akong tumigil, papatigil niyo ako pag ako nag-e-explain. I thought we are engaged in the search for the truth," Roque said.

But Hontiveros said that Roque "already answered in excess."

The heated exchange ended with Hontiveros reminding Roque to stick to answering the senators' questions.

"All I am saying is there is no need for any resource person to cite the rules of the Senate to a Senate committee. We know that. So please just answer the questions which are being asked of each resource person at length with an embarrassment of time para masagot niyo 'yung mga tanong," she said.

"Please stick to the topic and do not lecture a Senate committee about the rules of the Senate committee we know that. We correct ourselves kung lumalabag kami don," she added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News