Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (left), lawyer Harry Roque (Facebook)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers says beleaguered former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque needs to do just one simple thing to get rid of the contempt citation that the House quad-committee (quad-comm) had slapped on him.

And that's to produce the documents that he had previously promised the mega-panel.

Of course, that's what Barbers and the rest of his quad-comm co-chairmen had expected Roque to do last month, as he had willingly said he would. Instead, the controversial lawyer went into hiding.

"Once he appears before the committee and submits all these documents required of him, we will definitely lift the contempt order against him. So, yun lang naman ang hinihintay namin (that's all that we're waiting for)," Barbers said in a recent interview.

"The reason why he was cited in contempt [was] because he did not submit the documents required of him. Again, ipinangako naman niya yan (he's the one who promised that)," the Mindanaoan underscored.

The contempt citation on Roque led to the House's issuance of an arrest order against him.

Roque--who formerly served as ex-president Rodrgo Duterte's official mouthpiece--is a central figure in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) controversy, which the quad-comm of investigation.

"So now, if he will not submit these documents that is required of him, we might have difficulty in ferreting out the truth as to his involvement in the operations of the illegal POGO discovered and raided in Porac, Pampanga," Barbers said, referring to Lucky South 99.

The veteran lawmaker clarified that Roque hasn't been branded of being "guilty" of anything.

"Wala naman kaming sinasabing guilty siya, but as he promised to the committee, isa-submit niya itong dokumentong ito to prove that he has no involvement and he did not benefit from the operations of this illegal POGO."

(We're not saying that he's guilty, but as he promised to the committee, he will submit this document to prove that he has no involvement and he did not benefit from the operations of this illegal POGO.)

"Very simple ang aming panawagan sa kanya. Marami naman siyang kaibigan dito sa Kongreso and we just want him to be cooperative with the members of the [quad-comm] so that makatulong siya sa ferreting out of the truth," Barbers said.

(What we want him to do is very simple. He has a lot of friends here in Congress anyway and we just want him to be cooperative with the members of the [quad-comm] so that he can help in ferreting out the truth.)

He says that mending ties with Roque--a former congressman--is also a possibility.

"If in these documents that we require of him, we will prove that he has no participation or any involvement in these illegal pogo operations of Lucky South 99, then we would be more than willing to perhaps mend ways with Atty. Roque," said Barbers.