The House Quad Committee, which is currently investigating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and their backers, flatly rejected a motion by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to quash a subpoena requiring him to submit his business records, tax returns, and Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
Roque initially promised to provide the joint panel with copies of these documents, which are deemed crucial to probing his alleged ties to illegal POGOs.
However, he later filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing that such documents were irrelevant to the legislative investigation, violated his privacy, and infringed on his right to remain silent and protection against self-incrimination.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro quickly moved to deny Roque’s motion to quash.
This was immediately approved by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who leads the Dangerous Drugs panel and is the overall chair of the Quadcom.
Luistro underscored the relevance of the requested documents, citing “overwhelming circumstantial evidence” of Roque’s connection to Lucky South 99, an illegal POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.
She noted his denial of ties to POGOs, underscoring the discrepancy between his limited income as a government official and the sudden surge in his assets, including his shares in Biancham Holdings and Trading, a family-owned company.
It was disclosed that in a span of four years, the assets of Biancham increased from P125,000 in 2014 to P67.7 million in 2018.
The Batangas lawmaker argued that if Roque fails to explain the sources of his wealth, it could strengthen the evidence of his involvement in POGO operations.
Meanwhile, Roque also failed to attend the last two Quadcom hearings, prompting the panel to issue a show cause order against him.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., chair of the human rights panel, ordered Roque to explain his absence during the hearings on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4 and compelled him to attend the next session.
Also during the marathon hearings, Alberto Rodulfo “AR” Dela Serna confirmed that he and Roque had a joint bank account.
“I have a joint account with Atty. Harry Roque… but as far as I know Mr. Chair, that account is already closed,” Dela Serna told Public Order and Safety panel chairperson and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez in a mixture of Filipino and English.
The former male model admitted that he managed to withdraw between P1.2 million to P1.8 million from the joint account with Roque.
