A heated exchange ensued between Senator Risa Hontiveros and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque which began when the latter accused the senator of "insinuating" that he is a lawyer of Lucky South 99, the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) compound in Porac, Pampanga.
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/29/roque-scolded-warned-of-contempt-citation-after-clash-with-hontiveros
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/29/roque-scolded-warned-of-contempt-citation-after-clash-with-hontiveros
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00:00So, just to continue, Atty. Roque, so even after the testimonies of Chair Tengco and
00:10Atty. Fernandez, do you still maintain that you are not a lawyer of Lucky South 99 or
00:18any POGO for that matter?
00:20I confirm that 100 percent.
00:23And the reason is, I have brought some documents with me.
00:26As you know, Atty. Client Relations requires that the parties agree because it is the highest
00:33fiduciary relationship.
00:34That is why the so-called Atty. Client Privilege, even here in Congress, you cannot contempt
00:40if the Atty. Client Privilege is invoked, within certain limitations, of course.
00:45And to be honest, I would have liked to have gotten a Lucky Star as a lawyer.
00:50Why?
00:51Because the raid in Porac was unconstitutional.
00:54They raided, they got a warrant of arrest from the Bulacan judge, outside of jurisdiction.
01:00Excuse me, we are not investigating the raid, we are investigating the POGO, so please just
01:06make your answer to this short, because it was actually just a yes or no question.
01:11Ma'am, but ma'am, let us be fair, because you have been insinuating I am a lawyer for
01:15Lucky South.
01:17That is why...
01:18Excuse me, the Chair has not been insinuating anything.
01:21The Chair and the members of the committee have been asking questions based on the testimonies,
01:29sworn testimonies of PAGCOR Chair Tengco, Attorney Fernandez of PAGCOR, and other resource
01:36persons.
01:37So, the resource person will not impute any insinuation to the Chair.
01:44Will please just answer the questions that the Chair has given the resource person.
01:49Okay, Your Honor, then.
01:51In the interest of fairness, may I be allowed to dispute, then, the statement of the prior
01:57resource person?
01:58We will get to that in the course of the question of the Chair.
02:00Okay, so the question again, Madam Chair, is...
02:02Do you maintain that you are not a lawyer for Lucky South 99 or any POGO for that matter?
02:08I maintain, as an officer of the courts and under oath before the Senate of the Republic
02:15of the Philippines, that I have never acted as a legal counsel for Lucky South 99 or for
02:20any other POGO.
02:21All right.
02:22But, is it true that you are in a meeting with PAGCOR regarding POGO in Porac?
02:29Yes or no?
02:30That is true.
02:31I was in a meeting, but as I said, I am known as a Whirlwind Corporate Secretary and I have
02:39documents in my possession which I would like to submit now to the Senate.
02:43Yes, please do that.
02:44Thank you.
02:45But, I do not have any other notarized documents.
02:47Okay.
02:48And, definitely, the testimony of other resource persons is not only a discussion, but there
02:56are also documents being submitted.
02:59Otherwise, the committee would not bother inviting them again and again.
03:04Madam...
03:05Excuse me.
03:06I would just like to ask the next question.
03:09So, the topic of your meetings and discussions with PAGCOR, and in fact, your follow-ups
03:15with PAGCOR, is the debt of Lucky South 99, of POGO itself.
03:19Is that correct?
03:20That is correct.
03:21All right.
03:22Thank you.
03:23So, not only Whirlwind, but also Lucky South 99.
03:25Can I explain?
03:26Yes, you can.
03:27Okay.
03:28Because Whirlwind is not only the lessor, they are also the service provider.
03:33Now, I appeal now to the officials of PAGCOR.
03:37Maybe you can explain what the service providers are doing, including Chair Andra Dominguez,
03:42because I had that opportunity to work with her.
03:44Domingo.
03:45Domingo, right?
03:46The service providers are the ones who provide everything that POGO operators need, because
03:51POGO operators are all Chinese.
03:53They do not speak English.
03:55That is why they have representatives in PAGCOR, because they have no ability to communicate
04:01because they have established independent POGO hubs.
04:06So, what I really understand is that the service provider's job is to provide services to their clients.
04:12All right, Attorney.
04:13Thank you.
04:14The committee will ask further questions to PAGCOR.
04:17Let's go back to Lucky South and PAGCOR.
04:21You said that you did not authorize the use of your name in the organizational chart.
04:27That was submitted as an official attachment by Lucky South 99 to PAGCOR.
04:33That is true.
04:34So, it is Cassie Linong's fault, right?
04:37No, it is the fault of the person who did it.
04:40Who did it?
04:41Because there is no establishment.
04:42Lucky South did it because they applied.
04:45Cassie Linong is the boss there.
04:49We do not have evidence to show who submitted those documents, but PAGCOR can confirm who
04:56submitted those documents.
04:57Okay, we will ask PAGCOR that again later.
05:00We asked them before.
05:01What is clear to the committee is that the organizational chart that has a drawing, a legal box with your name on it,
05:10was one of the official attachments in the submissions of Lucky South 99 to PAGCOR.
05:16And you said that the obligation of POGO to Lucky South to PAGCOR is what you talked about in PAGCOR.
05:31So, due diligence, as a lawyer in those discussions, you know what documents were submitted.
05:39You know the official attachments that were placed there.
05:44Did you confront Cassie Linong about this?
05:47Or did you accuse her of having your name on the organizational chart?
05:53Madam, you are getting angry because you are saying that I am giving words to your mouth.
06:00But right now, you already assumed…
06:02I am not getting angry.
06:03I am just telling you not to do that.
06:04But now, you said, you again insinuated that I had anything to do with the document.
06:10That is what I am saying.
06:11As far as I know…
06:13Attorney, attorney.
06:14Please stop using that offensive verb, insinuating.
06:17I am a very plain speaker.
06:19Okay, I'm sorry.
06:20It's all right.
06:21You can just say that the fact that you are citing is wrong.
06:24You are denying what the other resource person said.
06:28This investigation has been going on for four years.
06:30Almost no one is insinuating anymore because we are talking directly.
06:33Okay, so please tell the committee.
06:37Did you confront Cassie Linong?
06:40Or did you accuse her of having your name on the organizational chart?
06:43Well, first of all, I just found out that my name is there when I heard last time here what Chairman Altenco said.
06:50But as a lawyer and a professor of constitutional law, I am familiar with the rules of the Senate.
06:56And the Senate says that in proving facts, the rules of court apply in the supplitory character.
07:02I don't need to argue with you about that, attorney.
07:04But what I am saying is…
07:05Excuse me, excuse me.
07:06Wait a minute.
07:07You don't need to tell the committee what the rules of the Senate are.
07:09Well, I am just citing.
07:10Please just answer our question.
07:11My answer is that document is only evidence of its existence.
07:16But to prove the truth that is written in that document,
07:19there should be a witness who saw the making of that document,
07:23or the witness who made that document, or the witness who signed that document.
07:29Actually, as I said earlier, excuse me, excuse me.
07:32No, no, no, no.
07:33Ma'am, excuse me.
07:34No, no, no, no.
07:35Excuse me.
07:36Excuse me, attorney Roque.
07:37I'm sorry, madam.
07:38Yes, it's all right.
07:39I am a resource person invited.
07:40Yes, you are.
07:41Wait, wait, wait.
07:42Let me finish.
07:43I was asked to answer.
07:44Yes, you already answered in excess.
07:45Wait a minute.
07:46If you want me to stop, let me stop when I'm explaining.
07:48Yes, attorney.
07:49I thought we were engaged in the search for the truth.
07:51Oh, definitely we are.
07:52Attorney Roque, what I am saying, yes, and Sherwin.
07:56Attorney Roque, please be reminded to respect the chairperson.
08:00I'm very respectful, madam chair.
08:02How can you be respectful when you're talking to him?
08:05I apologize, Senator Gatchalian.
08:07One more.
08:08I apologize.
08:09And I will cite you in contempt.
08:11And if you disrespect the chairperson, we'll be compelled to cite you in contempt.
08:17I understand and I apologize.
08:18He's talking at the same time.
08:20He's the chairperson.
08:21Okay, your honor.
08:22I understand.
08:23I apologize.
08:24Thank you, Senator Sherwin.
08:27And thank you, attorney Roque, for your apology to Senator Sherwin.
08:31All I'm saying is there is no need for any resource person to cite the rules of the Senate to a Senate committee.
08:39We know that.
08:41So please just answer the questions which are being asked of each resource person at length with an embarrassment of time so you can answer the questions.
08:53But please stick to the topics and do not lecture a Senate committee about the rules of the Senate committee.
08:59We know that.
09:00We correct ourselves kapag lumalabag kami doon.