‘Maging matapang siya’: Castro tells Roque to go back to the Philippines

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (left), ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (PPAB)

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque should be brave enough to come back home to the Philippines and Face the quad-committee (quad-comm) in the House of Representatives.

Thus, said senatorial candidate ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, a member of the militant Makabayan bloc on Tuesday, March 18.

Roque grabbed headlines recently for appearing out of the blue at The Hague supposedly as part of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team in the latter’s International Criminal Court (ICC) trial for his charge of crimes against humanity.

“Dapat maging matapang din siya na harapin yun kanyang–yung quad-comm, yung House of Representatives. Umuwi siya, siya yung dapat umuwi. At wag siyang nagtatago,” Castro said in an online press conference.

(He should also be brave enough to face his–the quad-comm, the House of Representatives. He should go home, he’s the one who needs to go home. And he shouldn’t go into hiding.)

It was back in September 2024 when the quad-comm issued an arrest order against Roque for no-showing the joint panel hearings and in effect withholding key information about illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

Before this, the Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers-led quad-comm cited the controversial lawyer for contempt at least twice for perceived non-cooperation.

No Philippine court has issued any arrest order against Roque. The quad-comm is merely a quasi-judicial body that can recommend the filing of charges against certain individuals.

But Castro insisted that the arrest order issued by the quad-comm was valid.

“Yung sa House of Representatives na warrant of arrest, ay valid yun ano kasi in aid of legislation. Kailangan siyang sumagot at umattend ng hearing (The warrant of arrest from the House of Representatives is valid because it’s in aid of legislation. He needs to attend the hearing and answer the issue),” she said of Roque.

“Kaya tinitignan natin yung mga legal, o kung may mga legal problems or impediments at ano yung mga pwede na gamiting mga legal na pamamaraan para siya yung bumalik dito sa Pilipinas,” added the senatorial hopeful.

(That’s why we’re looking at the legal aspects, if there are legal problems or impediments, and what legal recourse we can take to make him come back here to the Philippines.)