Harry Roque spotted in The Hague with Sara Duterte, Robin Padilla

Photo from Harry Roque Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was spotted on Friday in The Hague, Netherlands, where former President Rodrigo Duterte is detained.

Roque was accompanied by Vice President Sara Duterte, as shown in a livestream on his official Facebook page. Senator Robinhood Padilla is also in The Hague with them.

He said they are trying to get access to the former president at the detention facility.

Roque is implicated in the qualified human trafficking case involving Cassandra Li Ong and others, linked to alleged illegal activities at the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub, Lucky South 99 Corp.

He is facing an outstanding arrest order from the House of Representatives after being cited for contempt and ordered detained for failing to submit documents explaining the sudden increase in his wealth.

Duterte ICC pre-trial

Duterte arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday night (Manila time) and was turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Detention Center in Scheveningen, The Hague.

Duterte will face his pre-trial on Friday afternoon (Friday night Manila time) before the ICC.

Harry Roque spotted in The Hague with Sara Duterte, Robin Padilla | INQToday

He was the subject of an arrest warrant by the ICC over crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019.

The country was still a party to the Rome Statute which created the ICC accord during this period.

In March 2018, Duterte declared the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute or the treaty establishing the criminal court.

However, the withdrawal took effect a year after or in March 2019, so the ICC retained jurisdiction over alleged crimes in the Philippines based on the time when the country was still a member.

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The war against illegal drugs that took place during Duterte’s presidential term claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data.

Human rights watchdogs and the ICC prosecutor estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.

They said several of these incidents were extrajudicial killings.