NANAWAGAN ang dalawang lider ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso kay dating presidential spokesman Harry Roque na umuwi na at harapin ang mga akusasyong ipinupukol laban sa kanya.

Ginawa nina Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V ng La Union at House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong ang pahayag matapos na kumpirmahin ni Vice President Sara Duterte na hindi kasali si Roque sa legal team ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na nahaharap sa kasong crimes against humanity sa International Criminal Court (ICC) sa The Hague.

Sa isang press conference, sinabi nina Ortega at Adiong na tila itinuturing ng kampo ni Duterte si Roque bilang pabigat.

Ang pinakamainam na opsyon para kay Roque ngayon ay bumalik sa bansa at humarap sa House Quad Comm upang sagutin ang mga alegasyon ng kanyang kaugnayan sa mga ilegal na Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) na pinapatakbo ng mga Chinese at iba pang iligal na aktibidad.

“I think he should come home and face the music. Marami pong katanungan na naiwan nung umalis po siya especially nung nasa Quad Comm tayo. Meron nga po siyang contempt order from the House, pero sabi ko nga the best-case scenario for him is he come home, kasi hindi naman po siya part ng magiging mga legal counsel [ni former President Duterte],” ani Ortega.

Ayon kay Adiong, ang pag-aalis kay Roque sa depensa ng dating pangulo ay nagpapakita na “sees his presence in the team as something that would cause more problem to the case itself.”

“I think she knows…that Harry Roque is bringing too much problem if ever that he would remain in the Netherlands. Because they understand that not only Atty. Roque was cited in contempt by the Quad Comm but he also is facing a serious case here in the country, ‘yung qualified human trafficking, his involvement in the POGO,” aniya.

“Kasi pareho po sila ng kaso with Alice Guo. He has no business in the Netherlands anymore considering that the legal team, no less than the Vice President says na wala, hindi naman po siya parte doon sa legal team,” dagdag ni Adiong.

Wala rin umanong dahilan para manatili si Roque sa Netherlands, lalo na’t bilang isang abogado, alam niyang kailangan niyang humarap sa Quad Comm at sa kanyang kaso sa korte.

Binigyang-diin ni Adiong na bago pa man arestuhin si dating Pangulong Duterte, nagtago na si Roque upang umiwas sa Quad Comm at sa kanyang kaso.

“Umalis na po siya. So there was already the intent not to face not only the Quad Comm but not to face the court. So as a lawyer himself he knows quite very well that he needs to respect the law, he needs to have himself presented before the court so that he can clear his name. If he continues to be elusive, evasive and continues to go…so I think he has no business being in the Netherlands. He has to come home and he needs to face the charges, that’s his opportunity to clear his name. He’s a lawyer, he knows how to deal with it,” aniya.

Sinabi rin ni Adiong na ang mga kaso laban kay Roque ay “based on actual evidence, hard evidence collected from POGO sa PORAC, and ‘yung pag-cite naman po sa kanya ng Quad Comm, ‘yung hindi niya pagbibigay nung mga dokumentong hinihingi sa kanya, kung bakit may negosyo, may negosyo siya tapos may connection with the POGO and suddenly there was an unexplained spike of assets…so, those are the documents we wanted him to provide.”

Dagdag niya, nabigong isumite ni Roque ang mga dokumentong ipinangako niyang ibibigay sa House mega panel.

“I think the question is if for example, his application for asylum in the Hague is denied, where would he go? ‘Yun ang tanong eh. So, there’s no place for him, there’s no place like home, Atty. Roque. So, come home and face the charges. Where would you go if the Hague or Netherlands refused your appeal to asylum? There’s no place like home,” dagdag niya.