FORMER presidential spokesperson Harry Roque yesterday said he has come up with alternative plans in relation to his current legal situation.
Roque has fled abroad and has been seeking refuge in the Netherlands for the past six months after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed human trafficking charges against him for his role in the illegal operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
He has applied for asylum in the Netherlands, claiming that he is a victim of political persecution.
In an interview with journalist Carlos Conde, clips of which were made public Tuesday, Roque said his plans include surrendering to Philippine authorities and filing a bail petition.
“The alternative is to surrender and file a petition for bail, which would probably take anywhere from six months to one year, and be incarcerated in what I have argued in one of my pleadings to be torturous conditions,” he told Conde.
Under existing laws, human trafficking is a non-bailable offense.
Roque said he can also wait until the end of the Marcos administration in 2028.
“The plan is to wait for judicial relief, and secondly, wait for hopefully, the end of the Marcos regime, which I hope will happen earlier than 2028,” he said.
Roque and 48 other individuals are the subjects of arrest warrants issued by a court in Angeles City, Pampanga in connection with their alleged involvement in a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga that was raided by authorities last year amid the government’s campaign against the operation of illegal offshore gaming firms.
Roque has denied involvement in the alleged irregularities and said the Marcos administration is out to get him for his steadfast defense of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
He went into hiding and fled the country after a House committee issued a warrant of his arrest for his refusal to submit documents that were subpoenaed by the panel.
He resurfaced in the Hague last March, slamming the government for the alleged illegal arrest of Duterte.
The DOJ has filed a petition with the court seeking the cancellation of Roque’s passport which, once granted, will categorize the former Palace official as an undocumented alien.
