Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque could no longer be located, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday, Sept. 16, after police forces were tapped to locate him following the issuance of an arrest order by the House of Representatives.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) went to the two houses of Roque in Metro Manila after receiving the arrest order but the former government official was nowhere to be found.
“The arrest order was addressed to law enforcers. So any law enforcer could arrest Atty. Harry Roque because he was cited in contempt and the PNP was tapped to help the Sergeant-at-Arms,” said Fajardo.
Roque was first detained after he was cited in contempt by the House Quad-Committee which is investigating the drug war and the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
The same House committee ordered Roque to submit his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and other documents documents related to his family firm Biancham, a subsidiary in Benguet called PH2, and a deed of sale of a 1.8-hectare Parañaque property.
Roque promised to comply but failed to do so despite repeated summons, and later, criticized lawmakers.
The PNP has been instrumental in the deportation of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo who was also being sought by th Senate for repeatedly snubbing summons in the probe into illegal POGOs.