BI chief suggests Roque used same route as Guo to leave PH

Bureau of Immigration chief Joel Viado suggested during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, March 18, that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque likely used the same route as dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo to leave the country.

Both individuals were sighted in Tawi-Tawi and may have entered Sabah by crossing from there due to the porous border between the two regions.

Viado noted that powerful individuals with access to POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) resources can easily escape through unofficial exit points in the southern part of the country, given limited monitoring capabilities at private wharves and ports.

Roque currently resides in The Hague, Netherlands where he is acting as a member of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team and seeking political asylum amid crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

BI investigators believe both Guo and Roque bypassed official airport security by taking an illegal maritime route from Tawi-Tawi to Sabah.

The BI's limited manpower, with only 16 fugitive search unit personnel, hinders their ability to monitor all ports effectively, making private wharves high-risk points for illegal departures.