“He most probably falsified immigration clearances to be accepted by his destination country,” said authorities about Harry Roque leaving the Philippines.
Immigration authorities are currently probing Harry Roque for possibly departing the Philippines illegally, after he confirmed filing a counter-affidavit in response to a qualified human trafficking case in Abu Dhabi.
“Our records show there were no recent attempts by Roque to leave the country through formal immigration channels. Therefore, we believe he may have left the country illegally, possibly with the help of unscrupulous individuals,” Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval explained in a statement, as reported by The Filipino Times.
Roque discreetly left the country amid a Congressional probe on his links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Roque did not leave the country, or even attempt to leave, via formal channels based on immigration records. But BI chief Joel Viado believes he may have falsified documents to escape the Philippines.
“He most probably falsified immigration clearances to be accepted by his destination country,” Viado said as quoted by a Rappler report.
In a supplemental complaint to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Roque–along with Mercides Macabasa and Ley Tan–has been added to a list of suspects that includes Cassandra Ong and 53 others. The allegations involve violations of Republic Act (RA) 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
Roque denied any involvement in trafficking activities, stating there is no evidence linking him to recruiting, transporting, or profiting from human trafficking, nor is there proof of conspiracy. He described the complaint as baseless and insists that his inclusion is merely an afterthought.
"My inclusion, along with Whirlwind Corporation and Lucky South 99 Outsourcing, Inc., is an attempt to cover up deficiencies in the evidence. There are no overt acts of trafficking or qualified human trafficking that implicate me,” Roque stated in his counter-affidavit.
The BI official pointed out that while the Philippines doesn’t have a dedicated law addressing “illegal departures,” Harry Roque could still face charges for document falsification.
“There’s no specific law in the Philippines covering illegal departures like in other countries, but charges can be filed under other offenses, such as falsifying documents,” Sandoval explained.
Based on BI records, Roque’s last international trip was in July, when he returned from Los Angeles, USA. Sandoval confirmed that there have been no further attempts to leave the country since then.
Roque also has an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against him.
“Since he is on the ILBO, any attempt to leave legally would have been caught by our immigration officers,” Sandoval said.
Read related article: Harry Roque Files Counter-Affidavit in Abu Dhabi Amid POGO Probe
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