Harry Roque denies having more than 1 PH passport

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday denied claims made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that he has more than one Philippine passport. 

“For the record, I am currently using one regular passport, because the other regular one (still current) has no more blank pages. The Department of Foreign Affairs would certainly know that the previous current one is cancelled without prejudice,” Roque said in a statement.

“My regular passport is presently with the Dutch authorities as part of my asylum application," he added.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla previously claimed that Roque has at least two Philippine passports, which he said is against the law. 

"Bawal ‘yun. Dapat isa lang. Ang alam namin ngayon, meron siyang dalawang regular [passport]... Same name [in both passports]. Maybe a difference in the middle initial, [and his] second name,” Remulla told GMA Integrated News’ Saleema Refran.

(Having two passports is illegal. But what we know now is that he has two regular passports.)

Cancelation

The Justice department earlier filed a motion seeking to cancel the passports of Roque, who has a standing arrest warrant over alleged qualified human trafficking in relation with the alleged scam hub run by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator Lucky South 99.

“Mukhang wala siyang intention [umuwi], nag-apply siya ng asylum pero ang paningin namin hindi angkop ang asylum sapagkat ang human trafficking ay isang kasalanan na alam na alam ng Europa na against our interest and against universal interest,” Remulla said.

(We’ll dig into it. He is a fugitive from the law. From the looks of it, he won’t come back since he applied for asylum in The Netherlands, but we don’t think his application has merit. Europe knows all too well that human trafficking is a crime against our and universal interest.)

Roque has claimed that he is a victim of political persecution as he is an ally of the Duterte family, a claim that Malacañang has since rejected. —VAL, GMA Integrated News