Former presidential spokesman Atty. Harry Roque denied being a fugitive, despite facing an arrest warrant issued after being cited for contempt by the House quad-committee.
"Hindi po ako pugante sa batas. Mali po ang sinasabi ni Ace Barbers na ako raw ay pugante," Roque said in a Facebook live on Monday.
"Ang contempt of congress ikaw ay pinarusahan, pinapakulong ng kongreso pero wala po akong batas na nilabag," he added.
The former president's spokesperson reiterated that he is not a fugitive evading the law but rather a fugitive in Congress only, a fact which he claims to disregard.
Additionally, he stated that the actions of the House quad-committee, including their shouting and imposition of contempt when resource persons do not answer immediately, are inappropriate.
"Nag ppower tripping na po sila," Roque firmly mentioned.
Furthermore, he declared that he will not submit to arrest by Congress, as he believes that if Congress oversteps its authority and is guilty of abuse of power or grave abuse of discretion, this constitutes a lack of jurisdiction, making their orders illegal.
Instead of surrendering to the House of Representatives, he said he will wait for the Supreme Court's decision.
"Hindi ko po isusurrender muli ang aking kalayaan gaya ng nangyari nung una na nasurrender ko siya ng isang araw," said Roque.
With this, he maintains his stance that he is not a fugitive but an ordinary citizen defending his rights.
On September 12, Roque was cited for contempt due to his failure to submit required documents concerning his assets. These documents include his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) for the years 2016 to 2022, as well as his wife's income tax returns from 2014 to 2022.
On Friday, authorities visited Roque's law firm at Antel Corporate Center in Makati City to execute the arrest warrant, but Roque was not present at the location.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is actively involved in the search for Roque.
Roque was previously cited for contempt on August 22 for dishonesty regarding his absence from the first committee session held on August 16 in Porac, Pampanga, which resulted in a 24-hour detention by the House.
