Quad Committee Pressures Mylah Roque, Wife of Harry Roque, Amid Ongoing POGO Inquiry

The House quad committee is intensifying its investigation into Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) by probing not only former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque but also his wife, Mylah Roque. The committee has issued a show-cause order to Mylah, demanding she explain her absence from multiple hearings regarding the matter.

During a recent session, committee chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers approved a motion to seek clarity from Mylah about her involvement in a lease agreement linked to Chinese nationals associated with a POGO complex in Bamban, Tarlac. This facility was raided in March due to allegations of human trafficking and cyber scams. The town’s former mayor, Alice Guo, is under suspicion for allegedly serving as a protector for the gaming hub.

The Roque family’s business, Biancham Holdings, leased property to Cambodian fugitive Sun Liming and his Chinese associate, Wang Keping. Both individuals are implicated in financial scams targeting investors in China.

Despite repeated invitations, Mylah has not appeared before the committee. In response to the committee’s actions, Mylah criticized Rep. Barbers, calling him “an abusive individual” and claiming he misrepresented her involvement with Lucky South 99.

Barbers clarified that Mylah’s name surfaced only because she signed the lease agreement with a wanted individual connected to the POGO. He urged both Roques to attend the hearings, insisting that transparency would clear up any concerns about their alleged links to illegal activities.

“If you and Mr. Roque really have nothing to hide, particularly his alleged links to an illegal POGO, then you should both attend the quad com hearings, be transparent and open all your cards,” Barbers was quoted as saying in a report published by the Inquirer.

Harry Roque’s wife asserted that her absence was due to medical treatment in Singapore.

Barbers pointed out that it was not him but Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop and Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Paduano who had wanted medical records from her doctors. This is because the documents she allegedly passed to the panel “were merely results from a certain diagnostic laboratory and did not clearly indicate details on the health issues she was facing.”

Harry Roque faces an arrest order for his own noncompliance, including failing to submit required documents like his tax records and statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. Roque has publicly declared he will not surrender and accused the committee of “power tripping.”

The joint panel, which includes committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights, and public accounts, cited substantial circumstantial evidence linking Harry Roque to Lucky South 99, the POGO hub that was raided in June.

Read related article: CIDG locates a lead in the pursuit of Harry Roque