Adi Joaquim Tolentino

A Pampanga court has issued arrest warrants against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, businesswoman Cassandra Ong, and 50 others for alleged involvement in human trafficking connected to the controversial Lucky South 99, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga.

Photo Courtesy of Presidential Photos.

In an order dated May 8, Angeles Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 118 Presiding Judge Rene Reyes found probable cause to indict the accused for multiple violations of RA 9208 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022.

“All offenses charged are non-bailable,” the court ruling stated.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed 11 separate charges of qualified human trafficking against the group, linking them to alleged criminal activities including torture, kidnapping, and sex trafficking.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) earlier disclosed that its investigation into the Porac-based hub uncovered evidence of forced labor and other abuses involving foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, who claimed they were kidnapped and coerced to work.

Roque was tagged by authorities not just as the former legal counsel of Whirlwind Corp., the firm that leased property to Lucky South 99, but also for his alleged active role in securing the POGO’s license and managing legal matters for the firm.

In a supplemental complaint affidavit, Deputy City Prosecutor Darwin Cañete said on October 28, 2024, that Roque’s “active participation” in the operations of Lucky South 99 prompted his inclusion in the trafficking case.

“Based on the investigation of PAOCC, officers and people who have something to do with the corporation should be made to answer,” Cañete said in an interview.

Testimony from Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Assistant Vice President Jessa Fernandez confirmed that Roque and Ong met with her in July 2022 to discuss Lucky South 99’s gambling license renewal, with Roque allegedly making repeated follow-ups.

Despite these allegations, Roque denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

“The issuance of a warrant of arrest forms part of the unjust prosecution, which I will include to my application for asylum in the Netherlands as a victim of political persecution owing to my loyalty to the Dutertes,” he said in a message to reporters.

“It took PAOCC four months after the raid in Porac, Pampanga, to get witnesses to agree in concocting lies for the sake of implicating me,” Roque added.

He further claimed he was never the legal counsel of Lucky South 99 and only accompanied Ong to a meeting thinking she was a victim of estafa.

Roque left the Philippines in September 2024 after refusing to testify before congressional hearings on POGO operations and has since sought political asylum in the Netherlands.

Justice Undersecretary Nicolas Ty earlier said the DOJ would request a red notice from Interpol and inform Dutch authorities once an arrest warrant was issued.

Also included in the complaint are Ley Tan, identified as the firm’s accounting head, and Mercedes Peralta Macabasa, its Security Compliance Officer.

Cañete said both Tan and Macabasa played key roles in maintaining the facade of legitimacy for Lucky South 99, thus enabling the company’s alleged trafficking operations.

As the legal and diplomatic implications unfold, the DOJ is expected to coordinate with international agencies to pursue the suspects now facing non-bailable charges in one of the country’s most high-profile POGO-related human trafficking cases.