House leaders: Roque has no business staying in the Netherlands

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has no business staying in the Netherlands, House leaders said Thursday.

Roque, who had not been seen in public since an arrest warrant was issued against him by the House Quad Committee in September, suddenly emerged in The Hague last week when ex-president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and brought there to face the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"I think he should come home and face the music. He left a lot of questions unanswered," House Deputy Majority Leader  and La Union Representative Francisco Paolo Ortega V said in a press conference.

"He has a standing contempt and detention order from the House. The best-case scenario for him is for him to come home because he is not a part of the President’s legal team."

Roque had said he was going to apply for asylum in The Netherlands, saying he needed to defend Duterte.

On Wednesday, however, Vice President Sara Duterte said that Roque would not be part of the former president's defense team.

“He has no business in the Netherlands anymore considering that no less than the Vice President said he is not a part of the former President’s legal team. I think she knows that Harry Roque is bringing too much problems if ever that he would remain in the Netherlands,” said House Assistant Minority Leader and Lanao del Sur lawmaker Zia Alonto Adiong.

He added that Roque is also facing a qualified human trafficking case over his alleged involvement in illegal Philippine Offshore and Gaming Operators, which have been linked to scams and human trafficking.

“There’s no place like home, Attorney Roque,” Adiong said.

Investigating drug war killings during the Duterte presidency and the crimes linked to illegal POGOs, the QuadComm cited Roque in contempt and ordered his detention in September after he refused to submit documents to justify his increased wealth.

Before the contempt order was issued by the QuadComm, Roque agreed to submit documents that would explain the increase of his assets under his family’s Biancham Holdings and Trading from P125,000 in 2014 to P3.125 million in 2015 and P67.7 million in 2018.

Roque had described the QuadComm’s probe as "a political inquisition against the Duterte family and me as their outspoken ally."

Roque’s wife, Mylah, was also subsequently cited in contempt and ordered detained by the QuadComm over her repeated failure to attend the House probe. 

Roque has denied his role in illegal POGO operations, but has acknowledged providing legal counsel to Whirlwind Corporation, the owner of the land on which stood a raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga where criminal activities such as torture and scams apparently took place. — BM, GMA Integrated News