Newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Monday called on former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to face the qualified human trafficking charges filed against him, as law enforcement authorities consider seeking assistance from Interpol to secure his return to the Philippines.
“Abogado naman si Harry Roque, ‘di harapin niya. Ito na ‘yong kaso na hindi mo na puwedeng dalhin lang kalsada para mag-rally eh. You really have to come and submit yourself to the jurisdiction of the courts and make your case and give your arguments,” Torre told reporters in a media briefing at Camp Crame.
Torre reported that two of the 51 individuals charged in relation to the raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Porac, Pampanga have been taken into custody.
“Mahaba-haba pang labanan ‘to, mahaba-habang trabaho pa,” he said.
The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), formerly led by Torre, has established tracker teams to pursue the remaining suspects involved in the qualified human trafficking case connected to the Porac POGO operation, which allegedly implicates Roque and several of his associates.
Roque, who denies serving as the lawyer for the POGO Lucky South 99, is currently abroad. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is moving to cancel his passport and is seeking to have him included on the Interpol Red Notice list.
“Napakabigat ng kaso na ‘yan. Hindi ‘yan ordinaryo na parang isa o dalawa lang ang naging biktima diyan at hindi lang kung ano-anong kaso-kaso ‘yan. It is a very serious problem, it is a very serious case that they have committed,” Torre said.