DILG clarifies: Harry Roque arrest unconfirmed
MANILA, Philippines — There has been no confirmation that former human rights lawyer Harry Roque has been arrested, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 25, Remulla said that there has been “no official communication” confirming that an arrest has been made by the authorities in the Netherlands against Roque.
“We will make the appropriate announcement once an official confirmation is received,” Remulla said in a statement.
Remulla’s statement follows unverified reports that circulated claiming Roque was arrested in the Netherlands.
In response, Roque, in a Facebook post, debunked the reports, showing a boarding pass indicating that he is traveling to Vienna, Austria.
However, on November 24, a Pasig Regional Trial Court canceled his passport along with the passport of Lucky South 99 representative Cassandra Ong.
RELATED: Pasig court cancels passports of Harry Roque, Lucky South 99 exec
This means that his travel may be restricted by the authorities of other countries, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“He should not be able to travel without a valid passport. Immigration authorities at any country can detain him for traveling without proper travel documentation. This fact is certain,” DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez said in a message to reporters on Tuesday.
Martinez also told reporters that the DOJ has not received confirmation on the former presidential spokesperson's arrest.
RELATED: What happens to Roque, Ong, others with canceled passports? DOJ explains
Roque first revealed that he was out of the country in December 2024, when he filed a counter-affidavit in Abu Dhabi on the qualified human trafficking case he was implicated in.
His next public appearance was in The Hague, Netherlands, in March 2025, in front of the International Criminal Court following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
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