THE request for asylum of Harry Roque, spokesperson of the now-jailed former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been denied, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said on Tuesday.
In a news conference in Quezon City, Remulla said that, as far as he knows, Roque’s asylum request has lapsed after the five-month period had passed.
‘By the way, his asylum is done; Harry Roque’s asylum was denied. His five months are done. If there is a [International Police Organization] red notice, I will get him,’ he said.
A vocal critic of the Marcos administration, Roque has been in hiding outside the country but is active on social media, criticizing the government.
Roque is facing multiple serious criminal charges primarily centered on his alleged connection to the illegal offshore gaming operations in the Philippines.
The Regional Trial Court in Angeles City, Pampanga, has issued a warrant for his arrest for his alleged involvement in criminal activities related to his involvement with the outlawed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (Pogo).
He was also previously issued a congressional contempt warrant by the House of Representatives Quad Committee, that investigated Pogo activities.
Roque is facing a non-bailable qualified human-trafficking charge together with businesswoman Cassandra Ong, and dozens of other co-accused.
Roque is also facing a separate tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) along with wife Mila.
He is also facing a pending land grabbing complaint lodged before the Office of the Ombudsman by 77 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from Bataan.
Because the qualified human-trafficking charge is non-bailable, Philippine law enforcement has deployed tracking teams and requested an Interpol Red Notice.
Remulla did not say which country denied Roque’s asylum but earlier during the same press conference, the DILG chief said he will go to France for another case-that of former Party-list Rep. Rizaldy Co of Ako Bicol, who is facing plunder complaints in connection with the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.
During the briefing, Remulla did not specify which country denied Roque’s asylum bid but promised to provide details upon confirmation with his staff in charge of the case.
He said his visit to France in the coming days has something to do with requests for asylum by Co, saying he will talk to authorities to convince them to deny the former legislator’s bid for asylum.
To recall, in November last year, Roque bared that he applied for asylum in the Netherlands, but his request was deferred to Austria, since it was the latter that granted him a visa.