Palace: Roque seeking asylum to avoid QuadComm hearings

Former Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque’s asylum application in the Netherlands is a tactic to evade allegations against him in the House Quad Committee’s investigation into Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Malacañang said Monday.

''Kahit hindi pa naman po siya nag-a-apply ng asylum sa Netherlands alam naman natin na siya ay hindi na nagpakita sa anumang Quad Comm hearing. Siya ay umalis sa Pilipinas at hindi na bumalik,'' said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro in a briefing.

(Even before applying for asylum in the Netherlands, he had already avoided attending any Quad Comm hearings. He left the Philippines and never returned.)

''So, ano ba ang ibig sabihin nito? Taktika ito para hindi na siya muling matanong pa sa kaniyang mga isiniwalat sa Quad Comm hearing patungkol sa kaniyang mga transaksiyon,'' she added. 

(So, what does this mean? It’s a strategy to prevent further questioning regarding the allegations about his transactions that surfaced during the Quad Comm hearings.)

Last week, Roque confirmed that he applied for asylum in the Netherlands following the House Quad Committee’s issuance of an arrest warrant against him in connection with the POGO probe.

Roque argued that as an asylum seeker, he cannot be arrested or forced to return to the Philippines. He also claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte advised him to pursue asylum.

Roque reappeared in The Hague when former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.

He insisted that he entered the Netherlands legally using a Schengen visa. 

In a Viber message to GMA News Online, Roque said he can prove that the Quad Committee hearing was nothing but political persecution, in relation to the administration's efforts against the Duterte family and its allies.

''But I will prove that in the proper forum here at the Netherlands,'' Roque said. — DVM/RSJ, GMA Integrated News