House serves arrest order vs Harry Roque

The House of Representatives on Friday served an arrest order to former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, according to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.

“Yes, [we have] served [it] at his law firm’s office,” Velasco replied when asked if the arrest warrant for Roque has been served.

Roque was cited in contempt and ordered detained by four House committees on Thursday after he refused to submit documents that will supposedly justify his increased wealth.

Surigao del Norte Representative Ace Barbers, chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs and the lead chair of the four House joint committees known as the QuadCom, earlier said that the arrest warrant on Roque is already in effect.

QuadCom is conducting investigations on crimes involving Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

“We already signed an arrest order for Harry Roque. This will be signed by the Secretary General on behalf of the Speaker or the Office of the Speaker. But once the four chair persons of the Quad already endorsed and signed this, I think it will come out soon. But effectively, it has already been out,” said Barbers.

Barbers is the lead chair of the four House joint committees, known as the QuadCom, conducting investigations on crimes involving Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

Roque was cited in contempt and ordered detained by the QuadCom on Thursday after he refused to submit documents that will justify his increased wealth.

“There’s already an arrest order against him because there was already a motion to detain him in the House of Representatives,” Barbers added.

The list of documents that the QuadCom wants Roque to submit include:

• Roque's statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2016-2022
• his wife Myla Roque’s Income Tax Returns from 2014-2022
• their respective medical certificates
• extrajudicial settlement of the estate, including tax returns, of Roque’s late aunt
• deed of sale with tax returns and transfer of property of the 1.8-hectare property in Multinational Village, Parañaque that Roque’s family sold to a private entity which Roque said was the reason of his increased wealth
• transfer of shareholdings to lawyer Percival Ortega with trust agreement and related documents submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• income tax returns of Biancham Inc. and
• statement of Biancham’s beneficial owner filed with Securities and Exchange Commission.

What crime did I commit?

Roque, meanwhile, maintained that he will not submit his "family's private documents."

"Asking me to submit my family’s private documents is not POGO related but a witch hunt," Roque told GMA Integrated News in a text message. 

"I refused to submit these documents because they're unrelated to the POGO inquiry," he explained. 

Previously, Roque identified the documents being asked by lawmakers. 

"These documents include my Statement of Assets and Liabilities from 2016-2022, my and my wife’s Income Tax Returns from 2014-2022, our respective medical certificates, the extrajudicial settlement of the estate, including tax returns, of my late aunt and the deed of sale with tax returns and transfer of property of the 1.8-hectare property in Multinational Village, Paranaque that my family sold," said Roque.

"Kahit na isumite ko ang kanilang hinihiling na mga dokumento, hahanap at hahanap pa rin sila ng paraan para ako ay madiin... In the eyes of QuadCom, I am guilty until proven innocent," he added.

(Even if I submit their requested documents, they will still find and find a way to pin me.)

"I reiterate: What crime did I commit? File the appropriate charges in the proper court of law. Haharapin po ang mga reklamo sa korte."

(I will face the complaints in the proper court.)

Roque has denied his role in illegal POGO operations, but has admitted to providing legal counsel to Whirlwind Corporation, the owner of the land where the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga was located, an incident that uncovered apparent criminal activities such as torture and scam hubs.

It is the same Porac POGO hub that Lucky South 99 was located. 

Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro earlier said that Roque should explain why his assets increased from P125,000 before 2016 and P125 million in 2018.

“If he (Roque) will not be able to prove the legal and valid source of this sudden increase of assets of his family-owned Biancham, then there is reasonable ground to believe that indeed he is connected with POGO operations, and this money possibly came from POGO operations,” Luistro said. —VAL/KBK, GMA Integrated News