Roque Admits Partial Ownership of Raided Benguet POGO House

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque admitted on Monday that he partly owns a house in an upscale subdivision in Tuba, Benguet, raided by authorities over the weekend due to alleged use by foreigners linked to an illegal POGO in Bamban, Tarlac.

Roque, at a Senate hearing on POGO-related crimes, stated, “I used to live in that house when I left the government, and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it.” He added that he is in the process of taking over the entire corporation owning the house.

The house, located in Pinewoods Golf and Country Club, belongs to PH2 Corp., primarily owned by Biancham Holdings and Trading Inc., in which Roque and his wife, Mylah, are shareholders. The Senate inquiry, led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, revealed that Roque’s former executive assistant, Alberto Rodulfo dela Serna, and Inquirer columnist Joel Butuyan are also shareholders of Biancham.

Roque explained that the house has been rented since January by Wan Yun, a Chinese national with a 9G working visa, and defended against claims of his involvement in illegal POGO operations, citing a lack of evidence linking him to such activities.

During the raid, authorities arrested Khuon Moeurn and Wang Keping, with Hontiveros revealing that Moeurn, who claimed to be Cambodian, is a high-level Chinese fugitive with a fraudulent record and a fake passport.

Source: Inquirer.net / Manila Times