MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin believes lawyer Harry Roque Jr. clearly crossed the line for non-observance of military rules when they entered Camp Aguinaldo’s restricted area to try to confront a US Marine accused of killing 26-year-old transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude.
Roque is the counsel of Laude’s family.
Roque and his clients, including Laude’s German boyfriend Marc Suselbeck, have over-exercised their rights in trying to get a glimpse of Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, he added.
“Clearly there was deceit on their part and they over-exercised their rights,” he said.
Gazmin said anybody inside a military camp cannot exercise his or her full rights because of regulations that nobody could just ignore without facing disciplinary action.
“If the area is declared restricted, we could not just force our way into that area,” he said. “Even members of the uniformed services have to observe camp rules as governed by military regulations.”
Roque might face disbarment for his “inappropriate actions” inside Camp Aguinaldo last week.
Public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said the Armed Forces is seriously considering filing a disbarment complaint against Roque before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
Cabunoc said the basis of the possible legal action is Roque’s inappropriate actions inside Camp Aguinaldo last Oct. 22.
“We expect the IBP to take appropriate sanctions,“ he said. “We don’t want him to misbehave inside military camps and subject our soldiers to his tirades again.”
The legal action against Roque would depend on the recommendation of the Judge Advocate General’s Office, Cabunoc said.
Roque said he looks forward to answering the complaint of the Armed Forces before the IBP.
“They will hopefully stop their tirades which I consider as threat to my security,” he said.
In an a phone interview, IBP national president Vicente Joyas said the confidentiality rule on disbarment proceedings against members of the bar prevents them from commenting on the plan of the Armed Forces to file a disbarment complaint against Roque.
He did not confirm whether the complaint has already been filed. The Supreme Court has cited in contempt a lawyer who gave reporters a copy of a disbarment complaint against former lead Ampatuan lawyer Sigfrid Fortun.
Last Oct. 22, Roque, along with lawyer Virgie Suarez and slain transgender Laude’s mother and sisters and his German boyfriend Marc Suselbeck tried to enter the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) facility in Camp Aguinaldo where Pemberton is detained.
When military guards blocked them, Roque accused the soldiers of protecting American interests.– With Alexis Romero, Edu Punay