The advice from Salvador Panelo to his one-time colleague was blunt: stop talking, come home, and stand trial.
Panelo, who served as chief presidential legal counsel and later spokesperson during the Duterte administration, weighed in on the situation facing former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, whose bid for asylum abroad was reportedly rejected. Rather than continue evading Philippine authorities, Panelo argued, Roque ought to confront the charges waiting for him at home.
“Sino ba siya? Tumatakas siya. Umuwi siya rito, harapin niya yung kaso niya,” Panelo said.
He added a pointed jab at his former Palace counterpart: “Masyado siyang madaldal kasi. Tahimik nalang siya. Baka tulungan ko pa siya.”
The remarks land amid conflicting accounts of Roque’s asylum status. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told a September 15 press conference that the application had been turned down, saying authorities would move to bring Roque back once an Interpol Red Notice takes effect, as reported by Philstar.com. Officials and news outlets have not been consistent on where Roque filed—Remulla’s own remarks were tied by some reports to Austria and by others to the Netherlands, where Roque confirmed in November 2025 he had lodged a request that March.
Roque, for his own part, pushed back hard against Remulla’s announcement, branding it “fake news” in an interview and insisting no decision had come down. “The truth of the matter is it’s been submitted and we continue to await for the decision of the asylum office,” he said, according to Philstar.com.
The legal exposure driving the standoff centers on a qualified human trafficking case linked to Lucky South 99, an offshore gaming hub raided in Porac, Pampanga. A Regional Trial Court in Angeles City issued a warrant for Roque’s arrest, and because the trafficking charge is non-bailable, law enforcement has leaned on tracking teams and the pending Interpol request to secure his return. Beyond that case, Roque is also contending with a tax evasion complaint lodged by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, along with accusations of land grabbing cited by Malacañang.
Roque’s flight from local authorities traces back to 2024, when he left the country without a departure record on file with the Bureau of Immigration after investigators began seeking him. His troubles with lawmakers predate that departure, however: the House Quad Committee probing illegal offshore gaming operations cited him in contempt in September 2024.
