MANILA, Philippines – Ex-presidential legal advisor Salvador Panelo does not consider ex-presidential spokesman Harry Roque a target of political oppression. He suggests that his predecessor during the Duterte regime seemingly functioned as an attorney for a POGO center.
During an interview with OneNews, Panelo was asked about the arrest order issued on May 16 by an Angeles City, Pampanga court against Roque for human trafficking over his supposed links to Lucky South 99.
"It's challenging to substantiate the allegation of political persecution he raised since he voiced it himself at the congressional hearing. He did serve as their legal advisor, but numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies have emerged from his statements, leading to various grievances due to their direct origin from him," stated Panelo.
READ: There's still no red notice, but DOJ is considering 'the best course of action' against Harry Roque.
When questioned once more about whether Roque faced political persecution, Panelo responded: "I don't believe so. Therefore, if I were in his position—and since he is also an attorney myself—I would simply go back home and confront the allegations."
During hearings conducted by the House of Representatives’ quad committee last year, documents bearing Roque’s signature related to the Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga, were presented. The documents were found after authorities raided Lucky South 99 to rescue 186 foreign and Filipino workers who said they were being held against their will.
Roque admitted before committee members that he accompanied Katherine Cassandra Ong, an incorporator of Whirlwind Corp., which leased land to the Pogo hub, to settle fees with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
House arrest order
In September, the ex-presidential spokesperson faced contempt charges and an arrest order when they skipped further hearings and did not provide the necessary papers requested by the House committee.
Representative Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, who heads the committee, stated that Roque was not subjected to a formal inquiry. He mentioned that their aim was merely to determine whether his firms, Biancham Holdings and PH2 Corp., had ties with Lucky South 99.
Following the arrest of Chinese national Sun Liming in July the previous year for being an undocumented immigrant in Tuba, Benguet, where he was discovered in a house jointly owned by Roque, this incident occurred.
Initially, Sun claimed to be a Cambodian citizen but was subsequently exposed as someone involved in fraudulent activities in China besides his association with Lucky South 99.
In response to the court issuing an arrest warrant against him, Roque claimed this served as further evidence that he was being targeted due to his criticism of the Marcos administration. At present, he is applying for asylum in The Hague, where Duterte is set to face trial at the International Criminal Court.
Burden of proof
"Well, if I were in his position, being a lawyer with allegations pointing towards a criminal case, he ought to come back and confront the situation head-on—if his statements claiming innocence hold merit. This would be straightforward as the responsibility initially lies with the prosecution. Should they fail to provide sufficient evidence, then unfortunately, he can’t be found guilty," Panelo stated.
"I believe his issue stems from committing a grave offense. Essentially, he won’t receive easy approval for provisional liberty; instead, he’ll face immediate incarceration. He must submit an application for bail, but this can happen swiftly. However, the prosecution needs to present compelling proof of his guilt, failing which he should be set free," he explained further.
As per Panelo, if Roque decides not to return home, people might assume his guilt. "Regardless of whether this assumption is correct or incorrect, it would be how the public perceives the situation. Thus, if I were in his position, I would choose to go back," he stated. /cb