House panel urges Roque to surrender

THE House of Representatives' Quad Committee (quadcomm) on Wednesday called on former presidential spokesman Harry Roque to surrender to the panel after the Supreme Court voided his only legal recourse against the committee's detention order. Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made the call after the high court dismissed Roque's petition for a writ of amparo. The Court said that the writ of amparo is intended for cases of extrajudicial killings or enforced disappearances, situations that do not apply in Roque's case. "Sumuko ka na (Surrender now), Attorney Roque," Fernandez said, noting that the former Duterte administration official's attempts to evade justice and avoid accountability through legal maneuvers have become futile. "This is not the time for making excuses. Attorney Roque should face the music and answer the allegations in the proper forum. The law should prevail. He should not hide behind technicalities or writs that have no basis," he said. Barbers, the overall chairman of the quadcomm, urged Roque to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, which has uncovered alarming connections between POGOs and other illicit activities, including illegal drug syndicates and extrajudicial killings. "The Quad Committee is uncovering layers of criminal activities tied to POGOs, and we need full transparency from everyone involved," said Barbers, who also chairs the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs. "If Attorney Roque has nothing to hide, why is he hiding? The public deserves to know the truth," he added. "If he believes he is innocent, he should welcome the opportunity to clear his name in a proper legal forum. Trying to escape through technicalities only raises more suspicions," he said. "This investigation is not just about POGOs. It is about dismantling a complex web of criminality that threatens our society."