By Jet D. Antolin
SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs (HCDD) and chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety (HCPO), has vehemently denied allegations of abuse and intimidation made by Mrs. Mylah Roque, wife of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
Barbers, who is also the overall chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs (HCDD), stated that he has acted as a “rudder” during the Quadcom hearings, calmly guiding House leaders and panel members to tone down unnecessary remarks.
He refuted Mrs. Roque’s claim that he linked her name to the beleaguered illegal POGO operator Lucky South 99, emphasizing that only her husband had been linked to the gambling firm.
Barbers explained that Mrs. Roque’s name surfaced during the hearings due to her signing of a lease agreement with a wanted Chinese IT expert who is in hiding after his POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga was raided for various violations.
The Roque family-owned company, Biancham Holdings and Trading, Inc., leased their property to fugitive Cambodian Sun Liming and his Chinese partner, Wang Keping, both allegedly involved in financial scams targeting Chinese investors.
Regarding Mrs. Roque’s medical trip to Singapore, Barbers clarified that while she submitted medical documents, they lacked details on her health issues. He emphasized that it was Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano and Rep. Romeo Acop, not him, who sought further medical records from her doctors.
Barbers also denied calling the Roque family “wazak,” stating that Mr. Roque’s close executive assistant, AR dela Serna’s disclosure of a P3 million joint bank account during the hearings could have negatively impacted Mr. Roque’s reputation.
When asked by the media about Mr. Roque’s claim that Quadcom is destroying his family, Barbers responded, “Huwag kami ang sisihin nya, tanungin nya ang sarili niya.”
Barbers highlighted Mr. Roque’s refusal to provide vital documents promised to Quadcom, which has fueled lawmakers’ curiosity about the sudden increase in his wealth from P125,000 in 2016 to P125 million in 2018.
Barbers concluded by urging the Roques to attend the Quadcom hearings, be transparent, and “open all their cards” if they truly have nothing to hide, particularly regarding Mr. Roque’s alleged links to illegal POGO operations.
