On Thursday, May 15, a string of heavy-hitting news landed in the Duterte camp.
On the one hand, Harry Roque, former spokesperson for ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, and other associates of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub Lucky South 99 have been issued arrest warrants by a Pampanga regional trial court (RTC).
On the other hand, the Court of Appeals (CA) nullified the Muntinlupa RTC’s acquittal of staunch Duterte critic Leila de Lima of an illegal drug case. This comes on the heels of de Lima’s recent election as Mamamayang Liberal representative in Congress and inclusion in the prosecution team in Vice President Sara Duterte’s pending impeachment trial.
In late April 2025, Roque was charged with the non-bailable offense of qualified human trafficking in relation to Lucky South 99’s operations, which allegedly involved confinement and forced labor in inhumane conditions, severe physical harm and torture, confiscation of passports and communication devices, and frequent threats if workers failed to meet labor quotas or attempted escape.
Roque responded to news of the charges in a Facebook livestream on April 29, claiming that he was being persecuted as a Duterte ally. Earlier, in March, he applied for political asylum in the Netherlands, where he also visited Duterte following his arrest and detainment by the International Criminal Court the same month.
De Lima was acquitted by the Muntinlupa RTC in 2023 after being detained for seven years for illegal drug cases “on the ground of reasonable doubt,” following a retracted testimony from former Bureau of Corrections Director General Rafael Ragos, who initially said that he delivered drug money to de Lima in 2012. The CA overturned this decision on April 30, citing the regional court’s failure to substantiate its claimed lack of evidence to convict de Lima of the drug charges.
“Aaapela namin ang decision ng CA hanggang Supreme Court kung kinakailangan,” de Lima said in a statement responding to the CA’s decision, asserting that her acquittal is final and unappealable. “Gayunpaman, hindi ito magiging hadlang sa pagbabalik ko sa serbisyo-publiko at ipagpapatuloy ko ang aking preparasyon sa pagsulong ng hustisya at reporma sa Kongreso.”
