Atty. Harry Roque and Cassandra Ong's passports cancelled by Pasig court

• A Pasig court ordered the cancellation of the Philippine passports of Harry Roque and Cassandra Li Ong

• Both are linked to a qualified human traff!cking case tied to a POGO hub in Pampanga

• Roque said the order is not final and plans to fight it, saying he still has 15 days to appeal

• He insists his stay abroad is justified because seeking asylum is a human right

Philippine passports of lawyer Harry Roque and businesswoman Cassandra Li Ong have been cancelled.

A report said Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 157 issued the order. It also covered other people linked to a qualified human traff!cking case tied to a POGO hub in Pampanga.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon confirmed this.

Roque, Ong, and 48 others face charges under Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Traff!cking in Persons Act of 2003.

Roque has been seeking asylum in the Netherlands since March. Ong was last reported to be in Japan.

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Roque said on Nov. 24 that he already knows about the cancellation. He insisted the order is not yet final.

He said the court claimed he remains abroad without facing the case in the Philippines. He questioned why people were already saying his passport is cancelled when he still has 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration.

Roque plans to challenge the ruling.

He believes the court’s grounds are wrong. He said the court stated he left the country without a valid reason and avoided its jurisdiction. He argued this is not true.

He explained that the right to seek asylum is a human right. He said it is recognized under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers. For him, seeking asylum is allowed when someone feels pressured because of political beliefs.

Roque still said he will respect the court’s decision despite his disagreement.

Atty. Harry Roque is a former Malacañang spokesperson and one of the well-known figures in law and politics.

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He has been involved in many public issues and is known for his strong support for former President Rodrigo Duterte. In recent years, he has often been in the news because of his bold statements and his involvement in different controversies.

Read PhilSTAR Life's article here to know more about this story.

In a previous report by KAMI, a court in Pasig released a decision ordering the cancellation of Harry Roque’s passport. Roque asked the public for prayers and said he would file a motion to reverse the ruling. After appearing in public again, he was often seen in The Hague to show support for former President Duterte. He continues to say that he will stand firmly by the former president despite many ongoing issues.

Recently, talk spread about supposed tension between Roque and a supporter of former President Duterte over food. In a report by KAMI, the supporter said the misunderstanding was not true and shared his side of the story.

Source: KAMI.com.gh