Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez (left), lawyer Harry Roque (Facebook)

Former presidential spokesperson, lawyer Harry Roque's current woes with the House quad-committee (quad-comm) were the result of his own actions. 

Quad-comm co-chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez gave this reminder following Bianca Roque’s filing of a writ of amparo, with the aim of protecting her father from the alleged violations and abuses of the House mega-panel. 

"This development raises significant constitutional questions about the balance of powers among the branches of government," Fernandez said in a statement on Monday night, Sept. 23. 

"The allegations of grave abuse of discretion and the assertion that the committee has overreached its authority warrant serious consideration. However, the decision of the quad-comm pertaining to the submission of the documents duces tecum were matters that he himself created for himself, " he said. 

Fernandez recalled that it was Atty. Roque who "volunteered to submit it (documents) to the committee, in which the committee agreed to subpoena the said documents".  

Roque--believed to be a key figure in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) controversy--was ordered arrested and detained by the quad-comm laat week after being cited for contempt a second time in the panel probe. 

The latest contempt citation was due to Roque's failure to submit subpoenaed documents crucial to the joint panel's investigation, including his tax records and statement of assets, liabilities, and not worth (SALN).  

Instead of complying, Roque--former mouthpiece of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte--went into hiding and vowed not to surrender.  

"While we respect his decision on asking the intervention of the court, it is imperative on his part to adhere to the establish fact that the submission of his documents like SALN and ITR (income tax return) are more important than his presence at the quad-comm," the Laguna solon said. 

Roque has denied any involvement with POGOs, but Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro raised during the previous quad-comm hearing last Sept. 12 the stark contrast between the lawyer's modest government salary and the sudden surge in his assets, including shares in Biancham Holdings, a family-owned company.  

Luistro argues that Roque's inability to explain the sources of his wealth bolsters the evidence of his potential involvement with POGOs.  

“It is the humble submission of this representation that the quad-comm has established overwhelming circumstantial evidence showing the connection of Atty. Harry Roque to Lucky South 99, a POGO,” the lady solon said during the hearing. 

The quad-committee is probing the alleged interconnected issues of POGOs, illegal drugs, money-laundering, and the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the previous Duterte administration's drug war.