MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque was removed from a flight from Amsterdam to Vienna on Tuesday after Dutch authorities raised concerns over his fitness to fly and his asylum status. Roque clarified that his removal was not related to any arrest.
In an online interview, Roque recounted that the incident began when he noticed a fellow passenger, whom he described as appearing to be a Filipino military or police officer, taking photos and videos of him before boarding.
“Before I even entered the plane, picture after picture,” he said, noting that authorities later confirmed a 10-second clip had existed on the individual’s phone but was deleted. Roque expressed frustration that the passenger was allowed to remain on the flight.
“I was upset. Why did they let that person fly? As an asylum seeker, there is a real threat to my life,” he said.
Addressing viral claims that he had been arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Roque emphasized that he remained free in The Hague. “No one arrested me. I am free here in The Hague,” he said.
The former official said that the situation arose under Europe’s Dublin Regulation, which required asylum seekers to process their claims in the country that issued their visa. In Roque’s case, Austria issued the visa, prompting Dutch authorities to direct him to seek protection there.
Roque said Dutch authorities booked him on a flight to Vienna. Upon boarding, airline staff reviewed his medical documents, including certificates from his doctors declaring him “unfit to fly.” However, Dutch immigration doctors issued a separate assessment stating he was “fit to fly.”
Ultimately, Roque was removed from the flight after the captain and airport police asked whether he wished to continue. “They asked me: ‘Do you really want to fly?’ I said, ‘Of course not,’” he said.
He added that Filipino supporters in The Hague stayed at the airport while the situation was being resolved.
