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Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
May 23, 2025 | 12:00am
Harry Roque during filing a petition at the Supreme Court in 2023 (left); Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla speaking to reporters on May 25, 2025.
Philstar.com / Ian Laqui
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) will request the cancellation of accused human trafficker Harry Roque’s passport.
“We will write a letter for that purpose,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
Roque, Cassandra Ong and 48 others are facing arrest warrants for qualified human trafficking in relation to Lucky South 99, a raided Philippine offshore gaming operator hub in Porac, Pampanga.
The POGO hub is linked to detained former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, who is a suspected Chinese spy.
Roque is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, claiming he is a victim of political persecution for being an ally of the Duterte family.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte is detained in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his bloody war on drugs.
Cancellation of Roque’s passport would turn him into an undocumented alien, Remulla noted.
The former Duterte spokesman might not be deported immediately as his asylum application would have to be resolved first.
Remulla believes the Netherlands will not tolerate the crimes that Roque is being accused of.
“I believe that they will not tolerate the commission of crimes that are being charged here. And they see that the justice system is working in this sense that we have given due process to him to answer,” he said.
The DOJ earlier said it is preparing documents to request the issuance of an Interpol red notice against Roque.
