Harry Roque lobbied for raided POGO – PAGCOR chief

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora and Leonel Abasola, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Alejandro Tengco on Wednesday said former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque lobbied for a recently-raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga in July 2023.

At the resumption of the Senate inquiry into the illegal POGOs, Tengco said Roque went to his office along with Cassandra Li Ong, representative of the POGO Lucky South 99, on July 26, 2023 to discuss the POGO firm’s unpaid “arrears” worth USD500,000.

Tengco said based on their discussion, Lucky South 99 paid taxes to PAGCOR for six months through its authorized representative Dennis Cunanan who allegedly did not remit the money.

“So, ang kwento po niya [Ong], buwanan po ibinibigay niya yung pera kay Ginoong Dennis Cunanan at pinaniniwalaan niya na yun ay ibinabayad sa PAGCOR. Kaya nagulat po sila nang magpadala ng sulat ang tanggapan ni Atty. Jessa Fernandez [of PAGCOR] sa kanila, na nagsasabing meron silang arrears na anim na buwan. Humigit kumulang po yun sa 500,000 dolyares, US dollars (So, according to her, every month they gave the money to Mr. Dennis Cunanan believing that he gave the payment to PAGCOR. So they were shocked when the office of Atty. Jessa Hernandez sent letter informing them they have arrears worth at least USD500,000),” Tengco told the Senate panel.

Cunanan is the former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center director-general convicted of graft for his involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.

Tengko clarified that Roque never pressured PAGCOR to solve the problems of Lucky South 99 which was recently raided by authorities for alleged human trafficking and other illegal activities.

“Siya lang din po ay nakikiusap na kung maaari lang ay matulungan yung si Cassandra Ong. So, hindi pa po siya nagpa-follow up noon (He was just asking to help Cassandra Ong if possible. So, he hasn’t followed up then),” he said.

He, however, said Roque and Ong asked for a reapplication of Lucky South 99’s license set to expire last October.

When Senator Risa Hontiveros asked about Roque’s inclusion in the new organizational chart attached to Lucky South 99’s reapplication document, Tengko replied, “Lumalabas na po sa bagong application ng 2023, na siya na po ang legal head sa organizational chart na sinubmit sa reapplication ng nasabing kompanya (It turned out that he is the legal head in the organizational chart submitted for reapplication by the company).”

The PAGCOR official earlier said a former government official lobbied for the granting of license to illegal POGOs.

Not legal counsel

In a separate statement, Roque refuted claims that he counseled for any illegal POGO nor to the Lucky South 99 Inc.

He said he did not participate in the preparation of Lucky South’s organizational chart, which identified him as the firm’s legal counsel.

“As clearly stated by PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco in today’s Senate hearing, I requested a rescheduling of arrears payment of a lessee and principal of my client Whirlwind Corporation,” he said.

“My client is a service provider to Lucky South, then a holder of a valid license from PAGCOR,” he added.

He said Hontiveros’ conclusion that he lied when he claimed he was Whirlwind’s counsel was “bereft of merit”.

“I clarify that I did not consent to nor was I informed of my name’s inclusion in any submission by Lucky South with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) concerning license renewal,” he said.

“If her only basis is the organizational chart naming me as legal counsel of Lucky South 99, then I challenge her to prove that I had a direct hand in preparing the said document. No such evidence exists,” he added.

Meanwhile, Roque said he accompanied Ong, thinking Lucky South, Whirlwind’s principal, was a victim of estafa.

“By way of accommodation, I joined Ms. Ong since I was then persuading Whirlwind to invest in two energy projects of which I was the primary proponent,” he said.

He said he later confirmed in September 2023 that Ong was Whirlwind’s Corporate Secretary.

“After we were formally retained to represent the Company in an ejectment case in September 2023, Ms. Ong signed the pleadings in that case in this capacity. The case remains pending in the Court of Appeals and the Municipal Trial Court of Porac,” he said.

“Moreover, Whirlwind recently retained my firm to quash a search warrant in a residential dwelling in Porac mistakenly described as a ‘resort’ by police authorities,” he added.

Roque said he has no reason to deny his legal engagement with Lucky South if there is truth to it.

“Providing legal representation is why the legal profession exists. But the reality is that an attorney-client relationship is of the highest fiduciary relationship and cannot be presumed unless there is a clear retainer between counsel and client,” he said.

“As a lawyer, I could not directly engage with the POGO because of a potential conflict of interest and given the soured lease contract between Whirlwind and Lucky South,” he said.

In an interview following the hearing, Hontiveros said Lucky South’s organizational chart attached in its formal letter for POGO license application is “documentary evidence”.

“‘Yong kay dating Sec. Harry Roque dahil lumalabas talaga siya sa attachment sa application letter ng Lucky South 99 bilang siya ang legal andoon siya sa organizational chart at kinonfirm ng PAGCOR na siya ‘yong tumatayong abogado ng Lucky South 99 at hindi lamang ng Whirlwind, so abogado siya ng POGO company hindi lamang ng may-ari ng lupa (For former Sec. Harry Roque, he appeared in the application letter attachment of Lucky South 99 that he was their legal and it was confirmed by PAGCOR that he is not only the lawyer for Whirlwind, so he is also the lawyer of a POGO company not only the land owner),” she said.

She said the Senate committee would invite him to the next inquiry.