De Lima to Roque: Face arrest order if you have nothing to hide, like I did

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque should comply with his arrest order if he genuinely has nothing to hide from the public, former Sen. Leila De Lima said. 

After filing Mamamayang Liberal Partylist’s certificate of nomination and acceptance on Saturday, October 5, De Lima was asked for an opinion on the House order to detain Roque.

The former senator, who is seeking a return to Congress in 2025, said that Roque, as a lawyer and a "man of law," must comply with the legal process when government-issued orders have been made.

“Of course, he must (face authorities). He's a lawyer. He's a man of law. He's supposed to be a lawyer,” De Lima said. 

She explained that she herself had confronted all the charges made against her, even though they were fabricated, implying that Roque should too.

“Ako nga hinarap ko eh kahit gawa gawang mga kaso eh. (I even faced mine, despite the charges being fabricated.) … I respected the rule of law. I went through the whole process even though it was so painful and tedious on my part,” De Lima added. 

The former senator also mentioned that Roque should not be acting “all brave” on social media while hiding, as he has no reason to fear the law if he truly respects it.

“Kung wala kang kasalanan, wala kang tinatago, harapin mo ng buong tapang. Hindi yung nagtatapang tapangan lang siya na naglalive feed na lang siya and iniinsulto pa niya ang ating law enforcers,” De Lima said. 

(If you are innocent and have nothing to hide, face it with courage. Don’t just pretend to be all brave by doing live feeds while insulting our law enforcers.)

During the Duterte administration, Roque openly criticized De Lima for her strong opposition to the government's war on drugs. 

The former senator faced illegal drug trade charges in 2017 and was arrested. 

After a year, Roque expressed his satisfaction over De Lima’s “anniversary” in detention, wishing for her to remain imprisoned for a lifetime. 

“As I said, happy anniversary on your first year of detention. May you spend the rest of your life in jail,” Roque said in 2018. 

All charges against De Lima were dismissed in June 2024 due to insufficient evidence and the