THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday said that former Presidential Spokesperson Herminio “Harry” L. Roque may have taken the same backdoor exit via Tawi-Tawi used by dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice L. Guo to escape authorities.
“Any powerful individual backed by Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) or have access to funding and resources such as the POGOs can easily sneak out of our borders and enter other neighboring countries,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said during a Senate committee hearing.
Mr. Viado added that the escape route used by the dismissed mayor may have also been utilized by the former presidential spokesman.
“Since Atty. Roque has no recorded departure in the BI’s records, he most likely took the same route as Alice Guo in leaving the country by using a backdoor exit in Tawi-Tawi,” he said.
He added that the agency found it difficult to pinpoint the exact sea or airport used to allow Ms. Guo and Mr. Roque to escape out of the country, both have alleged links to POGOs.
In an earlier committee hearing, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director Ferlu J. Silvio said that it was possible she and her companions had fled the country via Tawi-Tawi province since it was much nearer to countries like Malaysia.
“The POGOs have numerous unofficial ports of exit to choose from in order to whisk away their bosses and criminal accomplices, that is why it is difficult for us to pinpoint the exact sea or airport that the POGOs used to allow Alice Guo and Harry Roque to escape from,” Mr. Viado said.
Mr. Roque is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, as he joins former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s legal team before the International Criminal Court. – Adrian H. Halili
