MANILA, Philippines — Former human rights lawyer and presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is implicated in a human trafficking case involving individuals allegedly running the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99.
On Monday, October 28, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed a supplemental petition with the Department of Justice.
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The petition seeks to include Roque and two other individuals, Peralta Macabasa and Ley Tan, in the original complaint, citing a provision in the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 that holds officers and directors accountable if a corporation is involved in human trafficking.
The complaint states that Roque, along with Macabasa and Tan, contributed to the illicit activities conducted by Lucky South 99.
“Each one performed an act that gave rise to the commission of the illegal activities. Without their respective participations, Lucky South 99 and Whirlwind could not have done the unlawful activities inside the compound in Porac, Pampanga,” the complaint reads.
The initial complaint, filed on September 10, named Whirlwind Corp. incorporator Cassandra Ong and 53 others for alleged acts of kidnapping, torture, and debt bondage.
Roque’s inclusion stems from his appearance in Lucky South 99’s organizational chart, where he was listed as “legal.”
Roque, however, has denied being Lucky South 99’s legal counsel, claiming he only accompanied Ong to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to help settle Whirlwind Corp.’s outstanding debts.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Roque called the trafficking charges “trumped-up,” alleging that the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) took four months to find witnesses willing to implicate him.
“The prosecutors did not include me in their earlier filing of trafficking cases against Cassandra Li Ong,” Roque said. “They had no evidence linking me to POGOs and obviously manufactured some now just to implicate me.”
Case after case
Roque’s legal troubles have been mounting. In September, the House Quad Committee (QuadComm) held him in contempt and ordered his detention for failing to provide documents related to his growing wealth.
Shortly after Roque’s arrest order, his wife, Mylah, was also ordered arrested. Since then, Roque has not participated in any QuadComm hearings.
The case against Roque is tied to a raid conducted on June 5, when authorities targeted a Porac-based POGO operated by Chinese nationals connected to Lucky South 99 Corp. During the operation, over 150 foreign nationals were found employed at the POGO hub. Among them, police discovered a Chinese national who was handcuffed to a bedframe, sparking allegations of human trafficking and abuse.