Social media erupted with demands for the arrest of fugitive lawyer Harry Roque following the capture of former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co in the Czech Republic, where the ex-congressman was taken into custody after attempting to cross into Germany without valid travel documents.
Co had been on the run since 2025. His passport was canceled, and he was spotted in Italy roughly three weeks before his eventual arrest, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who said the former lawmaker had been moving between countries in an apparent effort to avoid detection.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed the arrest on social media Thursday, April 16, saying that coordination with Czech authorities was already underway. “We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time,” the president said.
A day later, Marcos added that Co “was stopped at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic,” and that he “was denied entry and returned to Czech authorities, where he remains in custody.”
Remulla said Co lacked his Portuguese passport and travel document at the time of his arrest. The DILG chief estimated a return to the Philippines within one to three weeks, with the DFA working to expedite extradition proceedings. Co is expected to be detained at Camp Crame and arraigned before the Sandiganbayan upon arrival.
The former representative faces a human trafficking case tied to an alleged scam hub in Pampanga. He is also a central figure in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal, in which funds for public works projects were allegedly diverted to certain lawmakers and DPWH officials. Reports had previously surfaced of suitcases filled with cash being delivered to Co’s residences.
News of his capture quickly turned public attention toward Roque, a former presidential spokesperson who has similarly been eluding Philippine authorities since September 2024. Roque left the Philippines after being cited for contempt by the Senate for refusing to appear at hearings on POGO operations allegedly used as fronts for criminal enterprises.
“Harry Roque and Bato next,” one user posted, also referencing Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who has been absent from Senate sessions amid reports of an ICC arrest warrant. Others echoed the same sentiment: “Next Harry Roque, Atong Ang, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, et al.” and “So, nahuli na si Zaldy Co. Si Harry Roque, kailan kaya?”
“I just hope due process takes its course with Harry Roque. He’s been trolling for far too long,” another user added.
Roque faces non-bailable human trafficking charges linked to Lucky South 99, a POGO hub where he served as legal counsel. Authorities rescued more than 180 foreign nationals and Filipino workers from the compound in 2024, with the site allegedly used for scams, torture, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
The DFA canceled Roque’s passport last November. He subsequently sought asylum in the Netherlands, citing political persecution. Latest reports place him in Austria.
Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as a former bagman of Vice President Sara Duterte, alleged that Roque had seized land from Bataan farmers on behalf of his POGO partners. Roque dismissed Madriaga as “not a credible source” and said he had no prior knowledge of the vice president’s former aide.
Roque’s ties to the POGO industry drew scrutiny as early as 2020, when he appeared to describe the operations as a “cash resource” to then-President Rodrigo Duterte in what he later characterized as a slip of the tongue.
