Harry Roque, former spokesperson to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, has denied rumors that he had been arrested in the Netherlands on Tuesday, November 25. Instead, the lawyer, whose passport has been cancelled by a Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC), said he was on his way to Vienna, Austria.
“There is no truth to the rumors that I have been arrested,” Roque said on Facebook. “I have a scheduled flight to Vienna, Austria, today, November 25.” He added that more details would follow.
Attached to the post was a photo of Roque’s boarding pass for a flight aboard Dutch carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines en route to Vienna.
As of this writing, other agencies, such as the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) have yet to verify the rumors with embassies abroad.
“By virtue of the red notice issued by the Philippine government, authorities in the Netherlands have cause to arrest [Roque] and turn him over to Philippine authorities,” DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a statement. “However, I would like to emphasize that no official communication confirming an arrest has been transmitted to us.”
Addressing Roque’s claim that he is traveling to Austria, the PAOCC quotes Department of Justice (DOJ) Spokesperson Attorney Polo Martinez as saying, “No, he should not be able to travel without a valid passport. Immigration authorities [in] any country can detain him for traveling without proper travel documentation. This fact is certain.”
Roque fled the country in December 2024 amid contempt citations from the House of Representatives for failing to appear in inquiries regarding the illegal activities of POGOs. In March 2025, he revealed that he had applied for asylum in the Netherlands and has since advocated for Duterte’s release from the International Criminal Court’s detention facility in The Hague.
In May, he was charged with qualified human trafficking in relation to the operations of POGO Lucky Star 99 and real estate firm Whirlwind Corporation, specifically “assisting in corporation renewals and providing protection from prosecution while knowing the illicit nature of the [companies’] activities,” according to the PAOCC.
This is a developing story. Bookmark this page for updates.
