A YouTube video claims that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and his wife, Mylah, are now in prison after a court ordered their arrest. This is misleading.
It was the House of Representatives which issued an arrest warrant against the couple for failing to attend the hearings called by a House committee, not any court in the country as there are no cases filed against them.
Uploaded on Oct. 11, the video bore the headline:
“ARREST WARRANT NA! KULONG NA ANG MAG ASAWA HARRY ROQUE AT MYLA ROQUE! BINASAHAN NA NG KORTE!
(Arrest warrant now! Spouses Harry and Mylah Roque are jailed! Already arraigned in court)!”
No local court has ordered the arrest of the Roques as there is no pending legal case against them. The arrest warrant came after Harry and Mylah were cited in contempt by the House quad committee for failing to cooperate in an ongoing investigation into the couple’s alleged ties to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
The quad committee is composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights, and public accounts.
Harry Roque was detained in the House on Aug. 22 after being cited in contempt for lying about the reason for his absence in a previous hearing. He was again ordered arrested on Sept. 12 for failing to submit his business and financial documents reportedly related to POGOs. The House has yet to apprehend Harry and now considers him a fugitive.
The former cabinet official is also facing a disbarment case in the Supreme Court for his social media posts, including a video alleging that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is using narcotics.
Meanwhile, the House ordered Mylah’s arrest on Oct. 11 after repeatedly failing to appear in the committee hearings. Immigration authorities reported four days later that the former trustee of the PAG-IBIG fund had already left the country.
Uploaded by YouTube channels Boss Balita TV and BALITA NI JUAN, the video has received 7,547 interactions.
