Luli Arroyo: No contact with Roque since 2023 photo

VIENNA – Philippine Ambassador to Austria Evangelina Lourdes “Luli” Arroyo-Bernas said she “has had no communication” with former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque since the summer of 2023, when the now-circulating photo of them was taken.

Arroyo-Bernas said Roque visited the Philippine Embassy in Vienna with his family and their longtime Filipino-Austrian friends, one of whom donated a bust of Jose Rizal.

“From what I remember, Mr. Roque came with this Filipino-Austrian family that has been here for a long time. These are his friends from before. The lady wanted to see the bust of Rizal she donated. So, we made sure that there was a proper attribution to her. That was the photo. He came along with this family,” the ambassador told GMA News Online.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Monday clarified that the circulating photo was “old” after confirming its authenticity with Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro.

“Patungkol po doon sa larawang nagsi-circulate patungkol po kay Harry Roque at kay Ambassador Luli Arroyo-Bernas, naalarma rin po ako, personal na naalarma ako. Pero noong nakita ko po iyong larawan, mukhang hindi naman po siya iyong kasalukuyang Harry Roque na magri-reflect doon sa picture,'' Castro said.

In response, Arroyo-Bernas said she is grateful to the undersecretary for the clarification.

“I am grateful that she actually pointed that out to make sure that when somebody says something, they don’t destroy the reputation of someone who is doing their work without any malice. That you need to know what the facts are.”

Roque’s whereabouts

With regard to the reported asylum process sought by Roque in Austria, the Philippine Embassy in Vienna stated that it has “no authority” to intervene in Austria’s immigration policies and laws.

“Whether Mr. Roque is allowed to stay in Austria and other parts of Europe without a valid Philippine passport is within the exclusive purview, control, and discretion of Austria and the other countries he visits,” the statement read.

"The Philippine Embassy in Vienna, as with any other Embassy or Consulate, has no legal
authority to effect the arrest of any Filipino national abroad. The extra-territorial execution of any
warrant of arrest issued by Philippine courts is a matter of cross-border law enforcement–in
particular, mutual legal assistance directly handled by the Department of Justice with its
counterpart agency abroad," it added.

Arroyo-Bernas said European countries are "very strong on privacy."

“[That also goes] for any person who is seeking or who has applied for asylum—they will not give us that information," she said.

"We have to work within the bounds of the laws and treaties that we agreed to. We don’t have a police attache here, and the embassy does not have police powers. That’s not part of our job. Our job is, as far as assistance to nationals goes, if they are in distress, then they can ask us," she added.

Exercising prudence

After the photo in question circulated on social media, Castro remarked in her personal vlog that it was not appropriate for an ambassador to “provide refuge” or support Roque.

“Hindi maganda sa isang ambassador ang kumanlong o tumulong dito kay Atty. Harry Roque—pwede tulungan, ibang klaseng tulong, para makabalik ng Pilipinas. Pero tumulong para hindi galangin ni Harry Roque ang warrant of arrest, ang patawag ng korte sa kanya, hindi galangin yung desisyon na cancelled na yung kanyang passport—hindi maganda sa isang ambassador na ang nire-represent ay Pilipinas, at parte ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas na siyang kakanlong sa isang fugitive,” Castro said.

But for Arroyo-Bernas, that is not the case. She also asked everyone to exercise prudence.

“Hindi ako natatamaan, kasi wala naman akong ginagawang ‘pagkakanlong’. Ang sa akin, sinabi niya yun in general, “Kung iyon man ang nangyayari.” Pero hindi ‘yan ang nangyayari. So, dapat mag-ingat yung mga tao kasi bagamat ako’y political appointee, ako yung unang political appointee dito sa Vienna, gusto ko ring siguruhin na yung mga career diplomats dito ay hindi na-aapektuhan, kasi ang dami naming trabaho dito.”

Arroyo-Bernas added that the Philippine mission in Austria also covers Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, and six other United Nations agencies from different industries.

“Since I arrived in 2023, we have [signed] labor agreements now with three of these countries. We’re working on the last one. We have been chair and are on the board of almost all of the UN agencies that we cover here,” she added.

In the next two years, Arroyo-Bernas added, the embassy is preparing for activities related to the 80th anniversary of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Austria.

“I am looking forward to the cooperation and the participation of the Filipino community here. Most of them know who I am. I think they know that I am as professional as I can be. I’ve never been a person who does politicking, even within a political family. And I think people here who do interact with us, they know that.” —LDF, GMA Integrated News