Harry Roque, the former presidential spokesperson facing a human trafficking case, has brought his legal battle over his travel documents to the appellate court, seeking to stop the enforcement of a lower court ruling that cancelled his passport and branded him a fugitive from justice.
His office confirmed Friday that Roque filed a petition before the Court of Appeals asking for a temporary restraining order against the Pasig City Regional Trial Court’s decision.
“The cancellation of my passport and the label of ‘fugitive’ were imposed without legal basis and in violation of my fundamental rights,” Roque said in his filing.
The Pasig RTC issued the passport cancellation order in November 2025 in connection with Roque’s human trafficking case involving the Lucky South 99 POGO firm in Pampanga.
Roque’s camp contends that the trial court committed grave abuse of discretion in ordering the cancellation, citing violations of his constitutional rights to due process, presumption of innocence, and freedom of travel. He also argued that the order has no legal footing under the New Philippine Passport Act.
On the fugitive designation specifically, Roque maintained that he had left the Philippines before any charges were formally filed against him — a timeline he says disqualifies him from being classified as a fugitive.
His legal troubles extend beyond the passport dispute. The Supreme Court in March dismissed a separate petition he had filed contesting his arrest during the House Quad Committee’s inquiry into POGO operations, ruling that the matter had become moot.
Roque is currently in Europe, where his camp says he is seeking asylum. An earlier bid for protection in The Netherlands stalled after Dutch authorities indicated that because his visa was issued by Austria, it would fall to the Austrian government to decide on his asylum request.
