Roque’s wife hits back at Barbers

MANILA, Philippines — The wife of former presidential spokesman Harry Roque yesterday hit back at House of Representatives’ quad comm co-chair and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, after the latter said that she has already left the country for Singapore amid an investigation on the couple’s alleged links to Philippines offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

In a message to The STAR, Mylah Roque said that she is in Singapore for medical treatment, contradicting Barbers’ claim that she left the country in the first week of September and would allegedly proceed to the United States.

“I flew to Singapore for treatment, but his malicious interpretation proves why his panel never accepted any of my medical certificates; not just from my long-time doctor, but even hospital records,” Roque said. She did not elaborate on the nature of the treatment.

“And I traveled because I have a right to travel as guaranteed by the Constitution,” Roque added.

At the same time, she denied that she is an incorporator of Lucky South 99, an illegal POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

“Ace Barbers is an abusive individual. He abuses his immunity from libel with a claim that I am an incorporator of Lucky South even when there is no single document linking me to it,” Roque said.

According to the panel, Roque is listed as an incorporator of Lucky South 99. She was also allegedly the signatory to the lease contract for a house in Tuba, Benguet where two Chinese nationals linked to POGOs were arrested.

“And Cong. Barbers, you are not somebody who can declare my family ‘wasak’ (ruined). Check your mirror,” she said.

The quad comm issued Thursday night a show-cause order to Roque to compel her to attend the panel’s hearings on the activities of POGOs.

For his part, Barbers vehemently denied being an “abusive individual.”

“If she would have the time to watch the quad comm hearings, from the first to the sixth, our latest, which can be viewed in various social media platforms, she can clearly observe and see that, as quad comm chair, I was the one who acts as the ‘rudder’ of the team, very calmly leading House leaders and panel members in toning down some unnecessary remarks or comments as the probe