Warrants of Arrest Out for Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Cassandra Ong

MANILA— An Angeles City court in Pampanga has issued arrest warrants for former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and businesswoman Cassandra Ong on charges of qualified trafficking in persons. DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty confirmed the non-bailable charges, though the accused may petition for bail. The warrants, signed on May 8 by a Regional Trial Court judge, cite probable cause for their trial. Also ordered arrested was Duanren Wu, a key figure in the case, though he remains in hiding. The charges stem from a raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Porac, Pampanga, which prosecutors allege was running a large-scale scam that trafficked workers.

Roque acknowledged his legal work for a real estate firm linked to the POGO but denied any involvement in human trafficking. He went into hiding after the House of Representatives' quad committee issued an arrest order, accusing him of contempt and mandating his detention for not submitting documents that explain his abrupt surge in wealth. After more than 6 months in hiding, he resurfaced in the Netherlands in March 14, during the scheduled first appearance of former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He later declared that he applied for asylum in the Netherlands. 

In a statement dated May 15 posted on his Facebook page,  Roque said: "The issuance of a warrant of arrest forms part of the unjust prosecution, which I will include in my application for asylum in The Netherlands. I am a victim of political persecution by the Marcos government because I am an ally of the Dutertes.  I will seek all available legal remedies to secure my life and liberty which are currently under threat."

Roque has been seen joining the gatherings of Duterte's supporters in the Netherlands. Yesterday, May 14, he had a live feed in front of the ICC Detention Center in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands, interviewing the younger brother of Duterte, who just visited the facility.

In an interview with the media last week of March, after he declared that he had undergone his first interview with the immigration bureau,  he said in Filipino: “No more hiding. That’s when I signed my asylum application I really cried. I was sobbing because this was the first time in six and a half months that I wasn’t hiding from the police.”

Photo Source: TFCN Global  Archive 2025