Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque released a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday regarding his involvement in the Porac POGO hub.
Roque was named by PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco during a senate hearing as the one who helped in the granting of a license to a recently-raided POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.
During the continuation of the Senate investigation into the POGO hubs that were raided, Tengco narrated that sometime in July 2023, Roque accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, in a meeting in his office to discuss the "problems" about the POGO firm's billing from PAGCOR. Roque was no longer a public official when the meeting happened.
In a press statement, Roque said he is not and has never been a legal counsel for any illegal POGO and was not a counsel for Lucky South 99.
Roque was named by PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco during a senate hearing as the one who helped in the granting of a license to a recently-raided POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.
During the continuation of the Senate investigation into the POGO hubs that were raided, Tengco narrated that sometime in July 2023, Roque accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99, in a meeting in his office to discuss the "problems" about the POGO firm's billing from PAGCOR. Roque was no longer a public official when the meeting happened.
In a press statement, Roque said he is not and has never been a legal counsel for any illegal POGO and was not a counsel for Lucky South 99.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good day to all of you. I will just clarify what I think are the wrong news that we are reading on the internet.
00:12First of all, in the hearing of the Senate earlier regarding POGO and PORAC, Chairman Tenco did not say that I lobbied for an illegal POGO.
00:24What he said was, I lobbied for him last July to ask for a rescheduling of payment for the payments of Lucky Star 99 in PAPCOR.
00:36The reason is because of Ms. Cassie Ong, whom I accompanied, an employee of World Wind Corporation, a service provider,
00:44and the person in charge of Lucky South 99, the Lucky South was victimized by Estafa.
00:53The money that was given to their representative in PAPCOR, Dennis Cunanan, did not reach PAPCOR.
01:01That's why they received a letter from PAPCOR asking for a rescheduling.
01:07Chairman Tenco and Attorney Jeza Fernandez admitted that.
01:14There was no discussion regarding the license because Chairman Tenco mentioned that their new guidelines for internet gaming will be released.
01:23Chairman Tenco's recommendation at that time was to submit all required documents if Lucky South wants to reapply to PAPCOR.
01:35But it's clear that during our July meeting in 2023, Lucky South was not illegal.
01:42That's why it's not possible that I lobbied for an illegal POGO.
01:47Second, I believe that Senator Ontiveros' conclusion that I am the legal counsel of Lucky South
01:58is because in an organizational chart submitted to PAPCOR, I was written as a legal counsel.
02:05Ma'am, in order for that organizational chart to be evidence in my being a legal counsel in Lucky South,
02:12you should show that number one, I have an influence in submitting that organizational chart.
02:19Or else, I agreed to put my name there.
02:22Like what I said in the media, I don't know why my name is there.
02:26Because I have nothing to do with the submission of those documents.
02:30Because from the start, I've been saying that I am not the legal counsel of Lucky South when it comes to its licenses.
02:37And I was never the legal counsel of Lucky South.
02:40So ma'am, anyone can put their name there.
02:43For instance, Senator Riza Ontiveros, Legislative Liaison.
02:47But if you don't know that, of course, you will also make a mistake.
02:51That's what happened to me.
02:53No one asked for my permission to put my name there.
02:56And no one really came to me as a client who is named Lucky South 99.
03:03Third, what PAPCOR said is that they know Cassie Ong, whom I joined with them,
03:10that she is a representative of Lucky South.
03:13The truth is, I joined her because it's been a year since we had a meeting in PAPCOR,
03:19that the Whirlwind Corporation is courting to join the two projects of energy that I am supporting.
03:28One is an LNG project in Bataan and one is a solar project in Cebu.
03:33We are already helping a lot in terms of Whirlwind.
03:36And what we are talking about is first, the feasibility of both projects.
03:41Second, the details of IPIRALO.
03:44And third, obtaining a power supply agreement and buying renewable energy in terms of WESIB.
03:53We are also helping foreign EPCs, the contractors that are making LNG plants and solar plants.
04:04So I really know them.
04:06They are leading.
04:09And last July, they said that they are facing a problem.
04:14That's when I found out that they also have a Pogo plant.
04:17So anyway, I don't have a problem with that because when I was the spokesperson,
04:22I know what the business of the so-called service providers is.
04:26Because when we made the decision to open Pogos during quarantine,
04:32the service providers are the ones who are doing everything for the operators of Pogos.
04:38So I really understand that Ms. Cassie Ong is the service provider of Whirlwind.
04:44Now, it's easy for me to say that yes, my client is Lucky South,
04:49and what I am doing is just trying to make a living.
04:52But to be honest, before having a tourney client relationship,
04:55this is called the highest fiduciary relationship.
04:59It's the highest level of trust.
05:01To be honest, there is no communication that a client told his lawyer
05:06that anyone can say that the client doesn't agree.
05:10That's how sacred the relationship of a tourney client relationship is.
05:14So if Lucky South is a real lawyer, why wouldn't I admit it?
05:20But to be honest, because it is a highly fiduciary relationship,
05:24I cannot admit that there is no relationship between us and Lucky South.
05:31So I hope this made it clear.
05:33First of all, I did not lobby for an illegal Pogo.
05:37Because the times I went there, I did not apply for a license or a scheduling of payment
05:42from a company that is being serviced by the company I know, Whirlwind,
05:49which was legal at that time.
05:51They were legal in July.
05:52Second, as a legal agent, I said that I did not become a client of Lucky South.
06:01And if I became a client, why would I deny it?
06:04There is no responsibility of a lawyer if a lawyer did nothing wrong,
06:10if it's not his job as a lawyer.
06:13I hope this made it clear.
06:15I hope this made it clear.
06:16And I hope you understood that it is not possible for a paper that I did not sign
06:23to prove something that is in that paper.
06:26Thank you very much.
06:27And thank you very much for your trust in the past 34 years that I have been a lawyer.
06:35Good day to all of you.