Roque 'possibly' used the same escape route as Alice Guo - BI

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque may have taken the same route as dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to leave the Philippines, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) chief Joel Viado on Tuesday.

Viado made this statement while presenting a report on Guo’s escape to the Senate subcommittee on justice and human rights.

“In relation to the case of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, he was last seen in Tawi-Tawi at approximately 9:30 AM on September 2. It was later confirmed that he was not spotted in Bongao after initially being seen at the airport. Eventually, on September 4, 2024, Roque arrived in the United Arab Emirates, as verified by the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE,” Viado explained.

“Since there is no official record of Roque’s departure in the BI database, it is highly probable that he exited the country through the same backdoor route as Alice Guo, using an unofficial exit point in Tawi-Tawi,” he added.

Although the BI has yet to determine Guo’s exact departure location, Viado noted that individuals backed by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have the means to flee the country easily due to its weak border security.

Viado emphasized that powerful individuals with POGO connections or significant financial resources can effortlessly evade authorities by slipping through the country’s porous borders into neighboring nations.

“The POGOs have multiple unofficial exit points, which they use to transport or hide their key figures and associates. This has made it extremely challenging for authorities to pinpoint the exact sea or air routes used by Alice Guo or even Attorney Roque,” Viado added.

Earlier this month, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) proposed a new theory on how Guo may have left the Philippines and ended up in Indonesia.

NICA Director Ferlu Silvio suggested that Guo and her alleged siblings may have exited through an informal route in the southern Philippines, possibly in Tawi-Tawi, before heading to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. From there, they reportedly traveled to Kuala Lumpur and eventually reached Batam, Indonesia.

Silvio also confirmed that Roque was tracked traveling from Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi in September of the previous year.

"Our agency monitored Roque’s movements from Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi on September 2, 2024, at around 9:30 AM via flight PR2485. However, after reaching Tawi-Tawi, we lost all traces of him," Silvio stated.

Last week, Roque reappeared in The Hague, Netherlands, following the arrest of his former boss, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, who was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Roque had been missing and was believed to have secretly left the Philippines after being linked to the operations of POGOs, particularly his alleged involvement in Lucky South 99, a raided POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.

Additionally, on September 13, Roque was cited for contempt and ordered detained by the House Quad Committee (QuadComm) after failing to provide documents to explain the sudden increase in his wealth.