Palace to Roque: Why blame Marcos on being forced to leave PH?

Malacañang on Wednesday slammed former presidential spokesman Harry Roque for blaming the Marcos administration for his decision to leave the country amid the cases he is currently facing. 

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro took a swipe at Roque, saying that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. was not with the former Palace official when he got involved in supposed "illegal activities." 

''Unang-una po, mukhang isinisisi pa po niya ang naging kalagayan niya at ang kinahinatnan niya kay Pangulo at sa administrasyon... Hindi naman po niya yata kasama ang Pangulo nang siya ay nakipag-deal sa Whirlwind at sa Lucky South 99,'' Castro said.

(First of all, it seems like he still blames his situation and the outcome on the President and the administration... He apparently wasn't with the President when he made deals with Whirlwind and Lucky South 99.)

GMA News Online has reached out to Roque but he has yet to reply as of posting time. 

In May, warrants of arrest were issued against Roque, Cassandra Ong and 48 others for qualified human trafficking in relation to the alleged scam hub run by Lucky South 99.

Roque, however, claimed that he was being politically persecuted by the Marcos administration after the warrant was issued against him.

"I am a victim of political persecution by the Marcos government because I am an ally of the Dutertes," Roque previously said.

Castro, however, maintained that the warrant of arrest against Roque was valid.

"Paano niyang isisisi ito sa Pangulo at sa administrasyon? So, sa mga ganitong klaseng obstructionist, sana po ay ihinto nila at maging tunay na Pilipino," Castro said. 

The former spokesperson has denied the accusations against him and said he is not and never has been a legal counsel of any illegal POGO and was not a counsel of Lucky South 99.

Roque has said that he is currently at The Hague seeking asylum. The Department of Justice claimed that this has been rejected, but Roque said that this was just "fake news." —VAL/ GMA Integrated News