A YouTube video claims that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was ordered detained by the Senate. This is false. There is no such order from the upper house to arrest or detain him.
Uploaded on July 30, a day after Roque attended a Senate probe on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), the video bore the headline:
“KULONG ANG HATUL! NAGALIT NA SENADO! MAINIT NA SAGUTAN! ROQUE VS RISSA! DAMAY DITO ASAWA NI ROQUE
(Imprisonment is the verdict! The Senate was angry! Heated exchange! Roque vs Rissa! Roque’s wife was involved)!!”
There has been no order from the Senate to detain or arrest Roque who is currently the subject of a Senate and House of Representatives inquiry for his alleged ties to Lucky South 99, an illegal POGO raided in Porac, Pampanga last June.
But Roque has been named a person of interest, along with 11 others, in connection with the POGO hub investigation, and placed under an immigration lookout order issued by the Department of Justice on August 6.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission is also investigating Roque for his purported ownership of a house in Benguet where two Chinese nationals, including one fugitive, linked to POGOs were arrested on July 27.
The former cabinet official of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte has denied involvement in Lucky South 99’s operations but admitted having partial ownership of the Benguet property.
The erroneous claim in the 38-minute video is merely clickbait. It only showed a clip of Roque’s heated exchange with Sen. Risa Hontiveros during a July 29 Senate probe.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian warned Roque that he would be cited in contempt if he continued to disrespect Hontiveros. Roque toned down his voice and apologized to Gatchalian.
Uploaded by YouTube channels Boss Balita TV and BALITA NI JUAN, the video received 291,620 interactions. Facebook users also reposted the links.
