Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. 鈥擨nquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque鈥檚 bank accounts, assets and transactions with persons associated with offshore gaming should be audited and, if needed, ordered frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to determine the extent of his alleged involvement with illegal players in the industry.
This was according to the House quad committee鈥檚 first progress report that summarized the key findings and evidence gathered from its four-month inquiry into criminal activities鈥攑articularly extrajudicial killings and illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos)鈥攖ied with the Duterte administration.
READ: Harry Roque鈥檚 escape from PH possibly ushered by Pogo 鈥� Hontiveros
Unlike in the case of Roque鈥檚 principal, former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom the quad committee wanted to be charged with crimes against humanity over his brutal war on drugs, the megapanel did not pin down Roque for a specific offense.
But it said a 鈥渃riminal investigation should also be commenced to inquire into the extent of his involvement in the operation of Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind Corp., among others.鈥�
鈥淎ccordingly, Amla should initiate an investigation on the acquisition of his assets. Thereafter, a freeze order over the assets owned by [Roque] should be applied for provided it is shown that they are materially linked, relates to, or involves predicate offenses defined in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001,鈥� read the 51-page report, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer.
Lucky South 99 was the Pogo hub in Pampanga province that was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission in June for alleged human trafficking, online scam operations, and torture of workers.
Roque became a key figure in the quad committee inquiry after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chair Al Tengco revealed that he arranged meetings between Tengco and Whirlwind Corp. incorporator Cassandra Ong to settle Lucky South 99鈥檚 unpaid arrears in July 2023. The former Palace official denied lawyering for a Pogo and maintained that he was only representing Ong.
Bring them home
Roque鈥檚 financial dealings also caught the panel鈥檚 attention after it emerged during the inquiry that his declared assets surged from P125,000 in 2016 to P125 million by 2018, during the height of Pogo operations under the Duterte administration.
The quad committee also urged the Philippine government to exhaust all efforts to bring Roque back to the country after he confirmed that he and his wife Mylah had gone abroad following the panel鈥檚 issuance of an arrest warrant against him in September.
The government may invoke its extradition treaties, it said, or 鈥渁 diplomatic request for repatriation may suffice.鈥�
The warrant was issued after the panel cited Roque in contempt for refusing to attend the hearings and submit the documents being sought in the investigation.
After weeks of silence, the couple appeared at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 29 to notarize a counteraffidavit in connection with a separate human trafficking case.
The committee, chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, also said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 鈥渟hould be investigated to determine who helped Roque escape undetected.鈥�
The BI earlier said Roque may have left the country 鈥減ossibly aided by unscrupulous individuals鈥� and that it was considering charging him with falsification of public documents.