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

House quad-committee overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers took exception on Friday, Sept. 13 to lawyer Harry Roque's recent tirades against the special four-way panel. 

"He's now invoking a lot of, kung ano-ano sinasabi niya. Doon sa kanyang pronouncements in social media, tinitira niya, sinisira niya itong quad-comm," Barbers said of Roque in a virtual press conference. 

(He's saying a lot of things. He's assailing the quad-comm through his pronouncements on social media.) 

"We will not just take it sitting down," the veteran lawmaker said. 

Roque, who served as official spokesperson of former president Rodrigo Duterte, took to social media to brand the quad-comm as a "Kangaroo Court". 

He further said that he would no longer be attending the quad-comm hearings. 

Roque assailed the quad-comm after the joint panel cited him for contempt a second time last Sept. 12. 

Barbers underscored that as far as the quad-comm is concerned, Roque is a key figure in the body's investigation on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) controversy. In fact, the solons believe that the ex-Palace mouthpiece has links to illegal POGOs. 

"The fact remains that he is a material witness or a material resource person in this investigation because circumstantial evidence, overwhelming circumstantial evidence has been established of his links between Atty. Roque and Lucky South 99," he said. 

Lucky South 99 is an illegal POGO based in Porac, Pampanga that was raided earlier this year. 

Roque's contempt citation stemmed from his failure to produce the documents that he was asked to produce before the quad-comm. He no-showed the Sept. 12 hearing as well as the previous Sept. 4 hearing. 

ALSO READ: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/12/house-quad-comm-cites-roque-for-contempt-a-2nd-time-here-s-why 

In the presser, Barbers recalled Roque’s very different attitude during the instances that he actually faced the quad-comm. 

"Pero nung nasa loob siya, very submissive naman siya. Sinabi nga niya, siya nag-offer, nag-volunteer siya na magsasubmit ng mga dokumentong hinihingi namin. Sabi niya, 'I can even go beyond that Mr. Chairman,'" he said. 

(When he was inside [the hearing], he was very submissive. He even said and offered, he volunteered to submit the documents that we were looking for. He said, I can even go beyond that Mr. Chairman.) 

"The fact that he attended twice and during that meeting that he attended, he volunteered to submit all these documents. Nung tinanong namin, kailangan namin ang ganitong document (When we asked him, we need these documents), are you willing to? Yes. He said yes," Barbers said.