Harry Roque and his former executive assistant
HARRY ROQUE – The former Presidential Spokesperson has been implicated in a controversial scam farm in Porac, Pampanga.
The controversy arose after documents signed by Roque were recovered, including an appointment paper for a former executive assistant and an affidavit of support from 2021. The affidavit stated that Roque would cover the travel costs of his former executive assistant, Alberto Rodulfo Y. dela Serna, a former Mister Supranational Philippines 2016.
It detailed plans for Dela Serna to accompany Roque on a trip to Poland, Ukraine, and Italy from October 9, 2023, to October 18, 2023, where Dela Serna was invited as a resource person to speak at an event on the Peace Process in Ukraine. Roque cited his health issues, including diabetes, a coronary stent, and acute spinal stenosis, as reasons for needing a travel companion.
Roque downplayed the significance of the recovered documents, asserting they had no connection to the operations of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Porac. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) also defended Roque, stating the documents were not of a suspicious or criminal nature. PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio emphasized that Roque’s role as a lawyer for Whirlwind Corporation, which leased its property in Porac to Lucky South 99, did not constitute any suspicious activity.
Casio’s statements were made during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, where he reiterated that the document itself was innocent and not indicative of any wrongdoing. Roque’s involvement with Whirlwind Corporation was framed as purely professional, with no implications of illegal activity associated with his lawyering services for the company. The PAOCC’s stance suggests a separation between Roque’s legal representation and the alleged scam activities linked to the POGO operations in Porac.
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