Leila de Lima, a newly elected Congresswoman in the Philippines, has a strong message for Harry Roque, a former spokesperson of the president: “Come back to the Philippines and face the charges against you!”
De Lima gave this message during an event where the winners of the 2025 elections were being announced. Reporters asked her about Roque because there is now a warrant of arrest issued for him.
She said,
“He should return here. He must face the accusations. He shouldn’t be hiding in another country or trying to avoid justice by asking for asylum.”
(Asylum means when a person asks to stay in another country because they say it’s not safe to go back home.)
De Lima also reminded Roque, who is a lawyer himself, that running away can make a person look guilty.
“He knows the law,” De Lima said. “There is a rule that says running away might mean you’re guilty. So he should stop hiding and face the case.”
De Lima used to be the Secretary of Justice and also a Senator. She’s now the first nominee of the Mamamayang Liberal Party-list, which won in the 2025 elections.
Why is there a case against Roque?
A court in Pampanga has issued a warrant of arrest for Roque and 49 other people. They are being accused of qualified human trafficking. This is a very serious case, and it’s connected to an alleged scam company called Lucky South 99.
This company is said to have run a “scam hub” — a place where people were reportedly forced to work in scams, maybe even against their will.
Instead of staying in the Philippines to answer the case, Roque left the country. He showed up in The Hague, Netherlands, where he is asking for asylum. This happened not long after former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested back in March.
Roque has been known as a strong critic of De Lima, but now the tables have turned — he’s the one being asked to face justice.
