Quad Committee Chairman and Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers has strongly denied accusations by Mrs. Mylah Roque, wife of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, that he abused his authority.
“I would like to vehemently deny Mrs. Mylah Roque’s claim that I am an abusive individual who abuses my immunity from libel during the Quadcom hearings,” Barbers stated in response to the allegations.
Mrs. Roque had accused Barbers of being “an abusive individual” after she was summoned to the House Quad Comm hearings regarding the operations of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
In a social media post, Mylah Roque accused Barbers of abusing his power and “maliciously” linking her to Lucky South, a company under investigation.
A show-cause order had been issued by the Quad Comm against Mrs. Roque. According to Barbers, anyone following the hearings from the start to the sixth session would see that, as the Quad Comm chair, he calmly led the proceedings, ensuring that the House leaders and panel members conducted themselves professionally.
Mrs. Roque was found in contempt by the Quad Comm for refusing to appear before the panel after being asked to provide documents regarding unexplained wealth.
“Your husband Harry’s continued refusal to submit the vital documents he promised to provide the Quadcom only increased the lawmakers’ curiosity about the sudden increase of his wealth, from P125,000 in 2016, to P125 million in 2018,” Barbers added.
The search for Roque continues, while the committee has summoned Mrs. Roque to appear before the panel. She was unable to attend, citing medical treatment in Singapore, leading to the issuance of a show-cause order.
“If you and Mr. Roque have nothing to hide, particularly his alleged links to illegal POGO operations, then you should both attend the Quadcom hearings, be transparent, and open all your cards,” Barbers stated.
Mrs. Roque criticized Barbers for allegedly referring to their family as “broken,” a claim that Barbers denied.
“As to her claim that I declared her family as ‘broken’ (wasak), I think I would be the last person to say that. Mr. Roque’s executive assistant, AR dela Serna, admitted during the hearings that they maintain a joint bank account worth 3 million pesos, which could have affected his reputation,” Barbers clarified.
He emphasized that the Quad Committee is simply fulfilling its mandate to investigate illegal POGO operations, extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs, and human trafficking.
“Don’t blame us, ask yourself,” Barbers concluded.