Philippines Turns to Interpol in Hunt for Harry Roque Over POGO Case

Philippine authorities are seeking the arrest of attorney and former government spokesman Harry Roque. Officials confirmed they are coordinating with Interpol to help track him down in relation to human trafficking charges connected to a controversial Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation. The case adds new heat to the wider crackdown on POGOs that followed reports of forced labour, online scams and abuse inside several facilities.

Good to Know

• Government investigators charged Roque with qualified human trafficking
• Authorities asked Interpol to assist because Roque left the country
• POGOs were banned in 2024 after multiple raids uncovered forced labour

Interpol Assistance Requested as Philippines Pursues Roque

Government agencies in Manila requested assistance from the International Criminal Police Organization after Roque failed to appear before investigators. He once served as spokesperson for former president Rodrigo Duterte and later provided legal services to Lucky 99 South, a POGO operating in Porac, Pampanga. He also represented Cassandra Li Ong in her dealings with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

POGOs became a national flashpoint after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered a nationwide ban in July 2024. The decision followed police reports that linked certain gambling hubs to crypto-fraud networks and online romance scams. One raid in Porac freed around 150 workers, both foreign and Filipino, who said they endured beatings when they missed daily quotas. Police also found a victim handcuffed to a bedframe, adding even more urgency to the inquiry.

By October, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission had filed charges of qualified human trafficking against Roque. The complaint stems from the same Porac facility he advised. Roque left the Philippines and later sought asylum in the Netherlands, claiming political retaliation.

Anti-Trafficking Laws Become Central to the Case

The penalties Roque could face are severe. The country recently applied its expanded anti-trafficking legislation for the first time when the Pasig City Regional Trial Court convicted former Bamban mayor Alice Guo. Guo ran a POGO in Bamban, Tarlac and was removed from her elected post when the allegations surfaced.

Guo left the Philippines, crossed borders using false documents and managed to avoid police for months. She was captured in Jakarta in September 2024. Investigators later reported that she is a Chinese national who used a falsified birth certificate to run for public office. They also said Chinese funding was used to support the Bamban POGO operation.

On Friday, the court found Guo guilty of qualified human trafficking, the same charge lodged against Roque. She received a life sentence, along with fines of PHP2 million and compensation orders for several identified victims.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said the expanded law offers new tools to pursue those who instruct others to carry out exploitation.

“We can implicate people who, even if they were not the ones who physically hurt, recruited or exploited the trafficking victims themselves.”

Authorities have since cancelled Roque’s passport to limit his travel options.

Roque Says the Case Reflects Political Harassment

Roque spoke to Politiko.com and argued the government cannot reach him while his asylum claim is active:

“An Interpol red notice … does not override a receiving state’s obligations under refugee and asylum law. The protections that follow from my pending asylum claim remain in force.”

He said he will continue to pursue his case through international channels:

“I will continue to assert the protections that international law grants to asylum seekers. And I will use every legitimate legal channel to present evidence, seek accountability and defend my professional reputation.”

Roque also alleged that the accusations form part of a wider political campaign  He said the charges against him “stem from long-running efforts by this administration to silence and to ‘pulverise’ critics”.

The post Philippines Turns to Interpol in Hunt for Harry Roque Over POGO Case appeared first on iGaming.org.