Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque became visibly agitated during a Senate hearing on Monday regarding illegal POGOs, leading to a warning from a senator about the possibility of being cited in contempt for allegedly “disrespecting” the committee chairperson.
Roque participated in the Senate Committee on Women’s hearing, headed by Senator Risa Hontiveros, to refute allegations of his connection to Lucky South 99, a POGO in Porac, Pampanga, which was raided for suspected illegal activities.
Raising his voice at intervals, Roque criticized Hontiveros, accusing her of “insinuating” his involvement with the illegal POGO.
Earlier, Hontiveros and Pagcor had introduced a document naming Roque as the “legal” officer of the Porac POGO.
However, Roque contended that the document did not establish his connection to Lucky South 99 and proceeded to instruct the senators on the Senate’s rules for presenting evidence.
“You don’t need to tell the committee about the rules of the Senate,” Hontiveros responded.
Roque interrupted Hontiveros, saying, “Ma’am excuse me.”
“No, no, no, excuse me,” Hontiveros retorted.
“I’m sorry madam, but I am a resource person invited here… I thought we were engaged in the search for the truth,” Roque asserted.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian intervened, advising Roque to respect Hontiveros or risk being cited in contempt, which could result in arrest and detention in the Senate.
“Atty. Roque please be reminded to respect the chairperson,” Gatchalian instructed Roque, to which he replied: “I’m very respectful of madam chair.”
“Panong respectful eh nagsasalita siya sinasabayan mo sya… One more and I will cite you in contempt,” Gatchalian cautioned.
Roque then apologized, saying, “I apologize, Senator Gatchalian. I apologize.”
“One more, I will cite you in contempt,” Gatchalian reiterated.
Roque reiterated that he had provided legal services for Whirlwind Corporation, not Lucky South 99.
Additionally, Roque clarified that he does not own the house in Tuba, Benguet, where authorities recently discovered a female Chinese and a male Cambodian during an operation.
The Bureau of Immigration reported that the man was detained for lacking proper documentation, while the woman was apprehended for potentially harboring an illegal alien.
“Ang bahay po na tinutukoy niyo sa Tuba, Benguet ay rehistrado sa isang korporasyon. Tinirhan ko po yan nung ako po’y umalis ng gobyerno, and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it. Pero, wala po sa akin ang possession ng bahay na yan. Dahil as of January of 2024, yan po’y pinaupahan ng korporasyon at ang umuupa po ay isang Wan Yun na isang Chinese National,” Roque explained.
According to Hontiveros, they received information suggesting that the Cambodian is actually a Chinese national with a fraudulent passport.
“As per our Chinese informant, he’s (an Interpol) Red Notice fugitive, very high-level, and he has already defrauded 100,000 people,” she stated.