Harry Roque fumes at Senate hearing, scolded for 'disrespecting' Hontiveros

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1722241131469453153184_956307799867910_6568171936457632092_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque answered queries from senators as he attended the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality hearing on the reported criminal activities involving POGOs, July 29, 2024. <em>Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (UPDATED) — Former Palace spokesperson Harry Roque appeared livid Monday during a Senate hearing into illegal POGOs, prompting a senator to warn him of being cited in contempt for supposedly &quot;disrespecting&quot; the chairperson.</p><p>Roque attended Monday&#x27;s hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, to deny his ties to Lucky South 99, a POGO in Porac, Pampanga raided for alleged illegal activities.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/29/harry-roque-skips-then-shows-up-for-senate-probe-into-illegal-pogos-1045">• Harry Roque skips then shows up for Senate probe into illegal POGOs</a></div><div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"></span></div><p>Raising his voice at times, Roque took the opportunity to take a swipe at Hontiveros, whom he accused of &quot;insinuating&quot; that he was connected to the illegal POGO.</p><p>Hontiveros and Pagcor had earlier presented a document listing Roque as the &quot;legal&quot; officer of the Porac POGO.</p><p>But Roque said the document does not prove his ties to Lucky South 99 and went on to lecture senators of the rules of the Senate in presenting evidence.</p><p>&quot;You don&#x27;t need to tell the committee about the rules of the Senate,&quot; Hontiveros said.</p><p>Roque then interrupted Hontiveros: &quot;Ma&#x27;am excuse me.&quot;</p><p>&quot;No, no, no, excuse me,&quot; Hontiveros said.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m sorry madam, but I am a resource person invited here... I thought we were engaged in the search for the truth,&quot; Roque said.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/10/senate-panel-to-summon-harry-roque-over-alleged-links-to-porac-pogo-1215">• Senate panel to summon Harry Roque over alleged links to Porac POGO</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1722241232250453255846_956258089872881_8443589627652590146_n (1).jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Sen. Win Gatchalian and during the Senate hearing on illegal POGOs on Monday, July 29, 2024. <em>Voltaire Domingo/Senate PRIB</em></span></span></span></div><div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"></span></div><p>Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian intervened and asked Roque to respect Hontiveros or else be cited in contempt, which could lead to arrest and detention at the Senate.</p><p>&quot;Atty. Roque please be reminded to respect the chairperson,&quot; Gatchalian told Roque, to which he replied: &quot;I&#x27;m very respectful of madam chair.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Panong respectful eh nagsasalita siya sinasabayan mo sya... One more and I will cite you in contempt,&quot; Gatchalian warned.</p><p>Roque then apologized.</p><p>Roque conceded, “I apologize, Senator Gatchalian. I apologize.”</p><p>“One more, I will cite you in contempt,” Gatchalian warned.</p><p>Roque reiterated that he lawyered for Whirlwind Corporation, not Luck South 99.</p><div><strong>HOUSE IN TUBA</strong></div><p>Roque, meanwhile, clarified that he does not own the house in Tuba, Benguet where authorities found a female Chinese and male Cambodian in a recent operation.</p><p>According to the Bureau of Immigration, the man was arrested for being undocumented, while the woman was arrested for possibly hiding an illegal alien.</p><p>“Ang bahay po na tinutukoy niyo sa Tuba, Benguet ay rehistrado sa isang korporasyon. Tinirhan ko po yan nung ako po&#x27;y umalis ng gobyerno, and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it. Pero, wala po sa akin ang possession ng bahay na yan. Dahil as of January of 2024, yan po&#x27;y pinaupahan ng korporasyon at ang umuupa po ay isang Wan Yun na isang Chinese National,” Roque said.</p><p>According to Hontiveros, they received information that the Cambodian is actually a Chinese with a fake passport.</p><p>“As per our Chinese informant, he&#x27;s (an Interpol) Red Notice fugitive, very high-level, and he has already defrauded 100,000 people,” she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Rf6erTu6HE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Roque attended Monday's hearing to deny his ties to Lucky South 99, a POGO in Porac, Pampanga raided for alleged illegal activities.</p>

Roque attended Monday's hearing to deny his ties to Lucky South 99, a POGO in Porac, Pampanga raided for alleged illegal activities.

Harry Roque fumes at Senate hearing, scolded for 'disrespecting' Hontiveros | ABS-CBN

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Harry Roque fumes at Senate hearing, scolded for 'disrespecting' Hontiveros

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 29, 2024 04:46 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 29, 2024 08:57 PM PHT

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