Pasig court cancels Harry Roque, Cassandra Ong's passports
The Philippine passports of lawyer Harry Roque and businesswoman Cassandra Li Ong have now been cancelled.
In a report by The Philippine STAR, the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 157 had ordered the cancellation of their passports, as well as those of the other individuals implicated in a qualified human trafficking case.
This was confirmed by Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon.
Roque, Ong, and 48 others have been charged with violation of Republic Act No. 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. This is in relation to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hub in Pampanga.
Since March, Roque has been seeking asylum in the Netherlands amid the issue. Ong, meanwhile, was reportedly last seen in Japan.
In a Nov. 24 statement on his Facebook account, the former presidential spokesperson said that he is now aware of his passport's cancellation, but insisted that the order was not made final.
"Ang dahilan ng hukuman, maski hindi daw ako umalis ng Pilipinas para takbuhan 'yung criminal na kaso ko, eh ako naman daw po ay nananatiling labas ng bansa at hindi hinaharap ang proseso sa Pilipinas nang walang dahilan," he said.
"Unang-una po, hindi pa po final yan. Kaya nga po ako'y nagtataka kung bakit lahat sila'y sinasabi na kanselado ng passport ko. Meron pa po akong 15 na araw para mag-file ng motion for reconsideration," he continued.
Roque said that he intends to challenge the order as he believes that the court's reasoning is "wrong."
"Ang sabi niya, ako daw, maski hindi ako tumakas dahil sa pagsampa ng kaso sa akin, eh wala naman daw ko sa Pilipinas na walang balidong dahilan. Ibig sabihin, unjustifiable daw yung aking pagkaalis sa Pilipinas at yung aking pag-iwa sa jurisdiction ng hukuman. Well, sa tingin ko po, mali yan," he said.
"Kasi nga po, ang right to seek asylum, 'yan po ay isang karapatang pantao. 'Yan po, kinikilala sa International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, kinikilala po yan sa Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at saka sa Convention on the Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seeker. So karapatan ko po 'yan. Kapag ako po ay ginigipit, dahil sa aking political na mga paniniwala, pwede ako humingi ng asylum sa ibang bansa," he explained.
Nevertheless, Roque said that he will still respect the court's decision.
He also once more denied his involvement in the illegal recruitment of individuals in the POGO case.
"Wala pong ebidensya na ako ay nag-recruit na kahit sino para pagsamantalahan ang kanilang trabaho. Wala rin pong kahit anong ebidensya na nagpapakita na ako'y nakipagsabwatan sa ganyang pag-recruitment," he said.
Roque has been involved in the POGO issue that came after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission found documents bearing his signature during their raid of the Pampanga hub in June.
When the Senate started its hearings on the matter, Alejandro Tengco, chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, confirmed Roque's connection by revealing that he was the one who assisted Lucky South 99 in reapplying for a new license.
Roque has denied any wrongdoing, saying he never lawyered for Lucky South 99 and any POGO for that matter. He stressed that he only accompanied Ong in a meeting, as he thought she was a victim of estafa.