Roque ready to face Senate inquiry on POGOs

MANILA, Philippines —  Accused of facilitating the granting of license to an online gaming operator now being linked to illegal activities, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque should face the Senate to give his side on the allegations, Senate President Francis Escudero said yesterday.

In a text message to The STAR, Roque said, “I will be there (at the hearing).”

“Anyone accused of anything has a right to face his accuser and air his side. I believe that these are serious allegations which secretary Roque should clarify,” Escudero said.

“I believe that the committee will most likely invite him to get his side on this issue. I hope secretary Roque will make use of this opportunity,” Escudero said.

Earlier, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Alejandro Tengco revealed that Roque lobbied for the issuance of license to Lucky South 99, the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga raided recently for human trafficking.

Roque denied being a lawyer for the illegal POGO hub. At a hearing of the Senate committee on women, children and family affairs chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Tengco presented the organizational chart of Lucky South which named Roque as legal counsel.

But in the continuation of the committee hearing, Tengco clarified that Roque did not exert pressure, but merely assisted in the dealings of the Lucky South 99 POGO with PAGCOR in July last year.

Tengco said Roque and Lucky South 99 representative Cassandra Lee Ong met with him and Jessa Mariz Fernandez, PAGCOR assistant vice president for offshore gaming licensing department, on July 26, 2023.

Roque dismissed reports on his alleged lobbying for illegal POGOs as “complete fabrication and a serious misrepresentation of the facts.”

He said “no such statement was made” by Tengco during the latter’s Senate appearance. “On the contrary, he confirmed that my interaction with PAGCOR was solely to schedule a payment for Lucky South 99, which held a valid license from PAGCOR at that time,” Roque said on his Facebook page.

Hontiveros said Roque and former PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo would be invited to the next hearing to shed light on the information shared by Tengco.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, for his part, said Roque is free to represent his clients as a lawyer after his stint in government.

The ultimate solution is to totally ban POGOs, Pimentel said, renewing senators’ calls to boot out the offshore gaming companies which are linked to scams, human trafficking, torture and other serious crimes.

“There is really a shortcut to all these problems with POGOS. President Marcos should simply order PAGCOR  and other government agencies to stop POGO operations here,” Pimentel said.

“Stop giving licenses and permits. Give the legal ones one month to wind down their operations. Say goodbye to POGO,” he added.