QuadComm lifts contempt order vs. Harry Roque
Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Stephen Paduano made the motion.
The QuadComm issued a contempt order against Roque and ordered his detention last year after he refused to submit documents that will justify his increased wealth.
It issued a contempt order against Mylah Roque in October 2024.
At the same time, Manila Representative Benny Abante urged Roque to follow the advice of former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo and return and face the charges against him in the country.
Roque, who is seeking asylum in The Hague, Netherlands, is facing charges for qualified human trafficking in connection with the Lucky South 99 POGO firm before the Angeles, Pampanga Regional Trial Court (RTC).
'If Harry Roque is listening right now and watching us, I would like to tell him na gayahin na niya 'yung sinabi ng kanyang kasama na si Sal Panelo. Umuwi ka na lang. Face the court, face us, and tell us kung inosente ka sa mga paratang na ito,' he said at the hearing of the House Quad Committee (Quad Comm).
This came after Abante asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regarding the ways Roque may return to the Philippines.
Panelo previously called on Roque to face the charges against him. He said that Roque's claim that he is politically persecuted in the country will not stand as there are harsher critics of the Marcos administration who are not facing charges.
GMA News Online is trying to get Roque's side.
He previously denied the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, Abante said he considers Roque a 'fugitive' and a 'criminal,' saying his case does not differ from former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo 'Arnie' Teves Jr., who is accused of involvement in the killing of Negros Governor Roel Degamo.
He also called on the DFA to coordinate with The Hague, Netherlands regarding Roque's situation.
'Tulad ng ginawa kay Arnie Teves. Hindi naman court order 'yun kung hindi ang East Timor na ang gumawa ng paraan para pauwiin siya,' Abante said.
(Just like what was done to Arnie Teves. It wasn't even a court order—it was East Timor itself that found a way to send him home.)
'I'm saying this because Harry Roque is vital as far as the POGO solution is concerned. Kaya siya tumakas, eh. Sapagkat marami siyang alam tungkol diyan,' he added.
(I'm saying this because Harry Roque is vital as far as the POGO solution is concerned. That's why he fled. Because he knows a lot about it.)
The DFA representative said it will consult the appropriate office in the agency. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Whistleblower could unveil link between missing sabungeros and drug war —solon
The whistleblower who recently surfaced could shed light on the link between the missing sabungeros' case and the Duterte administration's drug war, Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon said. Ridon said this following the revival of the House Quad Committee (QuadComm), the mega panel composed of four committees that investigated the extrajudicial killings during the controversial anti-drug campaign. Under the adopted House Resolution 106, the QuadComm is tasked 'to conduct a joint inquiry in need of legislation to address emerging and unresolved issues brought forth by the joint investigation of the previous Quad Committee during the 19th Congress.' "We want to focus on the missing sabungeros and their intersectionality with the Duterte drug war because there were allegations that the kill team for the missing sabungeros is the same for the Duterte drug war," said Ridon, head of the committee on public accounts, one of the panels in the QuadComm. Whistleblower and co-accused Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan surfaced last month and claimed that the missing sabungeros were buried in Taal Lake. A total of 34 cockfighting enthusiasts have been reported missing from 2021 to 2022. According to the police, the missing personalities were kidnapped allegedly due to match fixing or cheating in the cockfighting games. "We would like to be able to talk to the whistleblower during the proceedings. Is this kill team true?' Ridon said. 'I'm sure the mechanics then were different, but if it's the same kill team, I think it's very concerning,' he added. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said some people who have been involved in the "death squads" that figured in the drug war under the Duterte administration may also be involved in the deaths related to the e-sabong or online cockfights during the pandemic. The search for the bodies of the missing sabungeros in Taal Lake, where Patidongan said the bodies were dumped, is ongoing and has resulted in the recovery of hundreds of remains since the search began last month. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 days ago
- GMA Network
Pinoy tourist killed after being hit by taxi in HK — DFA
A Filipino tourist was killed in Hong Kong after being hit by a taxi on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General, the DFA said the 35-year old man died due to injuries sustained in a vehicular accident in Tsuen Wan West on August 5. His remains are now in Kwai Chung Public Mortuary and the 80-year-old taxi driver involved in the accident is in police custody. "The Consulate General offers its deepest condolences to the deceased's family and prays for his eternal rest," the DFA said. The South China Morning Post said the cab driver told police that he felt dizzy before he crashed his vehicle into a hotel taxi bay. Police received a report at 1.52 p.m. that a man had been struck by a taxi that veered onto the pavement at a hotel in Yeung Uk Road, the Post said. DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said the consulate is currently assisting the family of the victim and is anticipating their arrival in Hong Kong soon to arrange the shipment of remains back to the Philippines. "The consulate general is closely coordinating with the Hong Kong Police Force while the official investigation of the case is ongoing," Escalona said. — Michaela Del Callar with Jiselle Casucian/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
Manila Rep. Abante seeks creation of 'QuadComm 2.0'
Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido 'Benny' Abante Jr. on Monday filed a resolution seeking to re-establish the House Quad Committee (QuadComm) to continue tackling 'unresolved' issues such as the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and offshore gaming hubs in the 20th Congress. 'There is still work that must be done—truths that remain hidden, perpetrators who remain unpunished, and families who still wait for answers,' Abante said in a privilege speech. 'Let us reconvene the QuadComm in the 20th Congress. Let us continue the investigation into the extrajudicial killings that scarred our nation. Let us show the Filipino people that justice does not expire with time, and that this Congress has the courage to finish what it has started,' he added. House Resolution No. 106 seeks the committees on Human Rights, Public Order and Safety, Dangerous Drugs, and Public Accountability to conduct a joint inquiry to address the 'emerging and unresolved' issue raised in the previous Quadcom in the 19th Congress. Abante said the new committee named 'Quad Comm 2.0' would expand the investigation on the problems of 'criminality and criminal syndicates that have flourished across the years, often with the aid and protection of past and incumbent government officials.' An example, Abante said, is the case of the missing sabungeros, or cockfighting enthusiasts, which he noted may be a case of EJKs. 'May mga alegasyon pa na ilang miyembro ng ating kapulisan ay sangkot sa mga insidenteng ito, at mga matataas na tao sa lipunan. Hindi ito bago sa atin—ito'y kahalintulad ng mga kaso ng EJK na ating naimbestigahan noong 19th Congress, kung saan may umaabuso sa kanilang kapangyarihan,' Abante said. (There are also allegations that some members of the police are involved in the incident, along with some influential people. This isn't new to us—it's similar to the cases of extrajudicial killings we investigated during the 19th Congress, where some individuals abused their power.) The lawmaker also inquired about the fate of the foreigners apprehended from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and the buildings and properties they have acquired. Bukidnon 2nd District Representative Jonathan Keith Flores has been named head of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, while Manila 2nd District Representative Rolando Valeriano was appointed chairperson of the Committee on Public Order and Safety. The House has yet to elect a new head of the Committee on Public Accountability. 'May nagsasabi na pulitika lang ito (Some say its political). But this is not a partisan crusade, Mr. Speaker. This is a moral one. Because murder knows no color but one: red—the color of blood unjustly spilled,' Abante said. The House Quadcomm inquiries resulted in the filing of the proposed Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act and the Civil Forfeiture Act, which Abante said are important in curbing 'impunity and seizing the ill-gotten wealth of those involved in state-sponsored abuses.' —LDF, GMA Integrated News
