December 8, 2025
MANILA – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday asked the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to reject the Philippine government’s request to issue a red notice against him—insisting that he is “a protected bona fide asylum seeker under Dutch and European Union law.”
Roque made the pronouncement after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) previously revealed that the national government has already requested a red notice from the Interpol against him.
READ: PH gov’t seeks Interpol red notice vs Harry Roque
“I am a protected bona fide asylum seeker under Dutch and European Union law, supported by official documentation from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service,” Roque insisted in a statement.
According to Roque, the qualified human trafficking charge against him is merely part of a “political retaliation” by the current administration against allies of the Duterte family and critics of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
He also argued that the red notice request violates the Interpol Constitution’s Article 2 Interpol’s human rights obligations and Article 3 strictly barring Interpol from engaging in matters that are “predominantly political in character.”
“Having said this, I submitted my opposition to the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files to deny the request of the Philippine government on the matter,” said Roque.
Roque is among the several accused (including Cassandra Ong) facing an arrest warrant for violation of Section 4(1), in relation to Section 6 (c) of Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
The warrant was based on a qualified human trafficking case filed by the Department of Justice against them for their alleged involvement in the operations of Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) and alleged scam hub Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
READ: Pampanga court issues arrest warrant vs Cassie Ong, Harry Roque, others
The DOJ noted that Roque’s participation was not just limited to being a lawyer for Whirlwind Corporation — the company which leased land to Lucky South 99 — but also served as the representative of the Pogo.