Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday called his 24-hour detention at the House of Representatives a “demolition job,” saying his only crime was missing one hearing on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
“I will not wish, even to my fiercest political opponents, to be deprived of their personal liberty and freedom,” Roque said in a statement.
He said the only two reasons for his detention is to silence an administration critic and Duterte ally, as well as to prevent him from serving as the lawyer of former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“After more than a month of vicious character assassination and relentless trial by publicity, the honorable men and women of the 19th Congress found me guilty of one crime: an absence to a House Committee invite,” Roque said.
“This shows the desperation of the current Administration to pin me down. But we will not bow down to political pressure,” he concluded.
