(UPDATE) THE Philippine government has requested an Interpol Red Notice for former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, stemming from his alleged involvement in the operations of the raided Lucky South 99 Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Sunday.
Roque is facing charges of qualified human trafficking filed by the Department of Justice. An Angeles City Regional Trial Court issued an arrest warrant against Roque and others after finding probable cause. He was accused of playing a key role in the POGO hub’s operations, including being named the head of its legal department during a license reapplication process for his client, Whirlwind Corp., which leased the land to Lucky South 99.
The Red Notice would allow law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and arrest Roque while extradition or related legal processes proceed. It forms part of a broader international coordination effort that also targets Cassandra Li Ong and her associate Rosalin Baterna, both implicated as representatives of Lucky South 99 and now subjects of Interpol notices for qualified human trafficking.
PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio said the request for Roque’s international arrest notice has already been transmitted to Interpol, noting that it is grounded entirely on evidence uncovered during the investigation. He dismissed claims by Roque that he is a victim of political persecution.
”It is difficult because he keeps projecting that he is supposedly being politically persecuted. That is not true. Everything depends on the evidence,” Casio said.
Criminal charges were filed against Roque and 48 others in April 2025, and at least one case has already been submitted for resolution, with another one filed on Friday.
Roque has repeatedly denied the charges, asserting that he never served as legal counsel for any illegal POGO operation. Following contempt citations from the House of Representatives for failing to attend hearings related to POGO operations, he left the Philippines last year and reportedly sought political asylum in the Netherlands. PAOCC officials said he has also been seen in Germany after the Netherlands reportedly rejected his asylum request.
Authorities have also detailed the circumstances that allowed Ong, a principal figure in the POGO network, to leave the country before an arrest warrant was issued.
Casio outlined the reasons authorities were unable to prevent Ong from leaving the country. She was last tracked in Japan in January 2025 through “social media exploitation,” a method that monitors public digital activity, after her release from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in December 2024. Ong’s detention resulted from a contempt order issued by the House Quad Committee, but the order — and her CIW commitment — expired automatically when the 19th Congress adjourned.
”During that time, she could not legally be stopped because there was no warrant of arrest. She still had freedom of movement,” Casio said. He emphasized that retaining Ong beyond that period without a warrant would have violated her rights and exposed CIW personnel to potential charges of illegal or arbitrary detention.
By May 2025, when arrest warrants were issued for Ong and Baterna, authorities continued monitoring their digital footprints. However, Ong had locked her accounts, effectively cutting investigators off from her online trail.
PAOCC said that public portrayals of Ong and Baterna as adversaries during congressional hearings were staged.
“In truth, that was all drama. We continue to receive reports that they remain together. Those two cannot be separated,” it said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has increased coordination with international law enforcement authorities to locate and arrest Ong.
”The PNP has intensified its coordination with foreign counterparts to track the location of Cassandra Ong,” PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Sunday.
”The PNP is committed to delivering justice to the victims of illegal POGO hubs. Those involved in these illegal operations must face the consequences of their actions,” he added.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged authorities to cancel Ong’s passport while waiting for the Interpol Red Notice.
The Philippine Center for Transnational Crime, under Undersecretary Anthony Alcantara, has forwarded the necessary documents to Interpol headquarters in France once Ong’s arrest warrant was issued. Interpol released the Red Notice on Oct. 17, and the Philippine government has since received and circulated it. Authorities said a new interagency meeting will be convened to locate Ong and Baterna, emphasizing ongoing international coordination.
Ong’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, on Sunday said that the administration is using Ong and the cases against her to divert attention from allegations of drug use and involvement in the flood control scam of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
