September 4, 2024 | 7:00pm
MANILA, Philippines — The House’s quad committee issued a show cause order to former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday, September 4, compelling him to attend the next public hearing and submit the requested documents.
During the fourth public hearing, where Roque was absent, House leaders of the mega panel denied the former spokesman’s motion to quash the committee’s subpoena for his documents following Rep. Gerville “Jinky” Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) manifestations.
Luistro debunked Roque’s claim that the requested documents to submit were irrelevant to the investigation for two reasons.
She said there is “overwhelming circumstantial evidence of his connection to Lucky South,” a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub.
Besides serving as a lawyer for Whirlwind, a real estate firm that leased land to Lucky South 99, lawmakers scrutinized the sudden increase in Roque’s assets.
In just four years, the assets of Roque’s corporation, Biancham Holdings and Trading, increased from P125,000 in 2014 to P67.7 million in 2018.
“At this point Mr. Chair, I maintained the documents which are being required are relevant to the subject matter of the investigation because if Atty. Harry Roque will not be able to prove the sources of his assets, then there is a possibility indeed that will support his connection to this POGO operation,” Luistro said.
Should the quad committee prove Roque’s involvement in POGO operations through the requested documents, Luistro said there may be a need to revisit laws related to anti-graft and corruption, the code of conduct for government officials, anti-money laundering rules, corporate law, and the code of ethics for lawyers.
The documents that Roque has to submit include the deed of sale of the multinational subdivision lot, income tax returns of spouses Roque and Biancham Corp., his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2016 to 2022, as well as a trust agreement related to the transfer of shares from the Roque spouses to lawyer Persival Ortega in 2020.
Luistro also said that “the right of the people to access information on matters of public concern generally prevails over the right to privacy,” challenging Roque’s claim that having a copy of the requested documents violates his privacy.
According to the committee secretariat, Roque “promised and committed” on August 22 to submit the documents by August 28, but he was absent on that date as well, citing a hearing of the “International Arbitral Tribunal” he had to attend.
The committee secretariat has yet to receive a response from the said tribunal regarding Roque’s excuse.
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