The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Thursday that there is no record of recent travel for former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who is under an arrest order from the House of Representatives. BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed that Roque has not left the country recently, countering speculation that he may have fled.
Roque was cited in contempt by the House Quad Committee (QuadComm) on September 13 after he refused to provide documents explaining the increase in his assets from P125,000 in 2014 to P67.7 million in 2018. He has accused Congress of “power tripping” over the contempt and arrest orders, which relate to allegations of his involvement with illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
In a live video on September 16, Roque defended himself, stating, “I am not a fugitive because I violated the law. It’s only Congress that considers me a fugitive, and I don’t care.”
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) acknowledged difficulty in locating Roque but noted they have a promising lead.