Harry Roque

Through the advocacy group Center for International Law (Centerlaw), of which he was one of the founders, Roque and his team represented victims of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre;[6] the Malaya Lolas, victims of systematic rape and abuse by the Japanese Imperial Army;[7] the family of the killed transgender Jennifer Laude;[8] and the family of the murdered environmental advocate and media man Gerry Ortega of Palawan.[9]

Roque has argued before the Supreme Court on several occasions. On the Supreme Court website, the retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura identifies him "as among those who have impressed him when they had argued before the Supreme Court".[10]

Among the cases that he argued before the high court were assailing Presidential Proclamation 1017 and General Order No. 5, placing the country under a State of Emergency partially unconstitutional for infringing on the constitutionally protected rights of free speech, peaceful assembly and freedom of the press. He is also among the five counsels allowed to argue specific issues raised against the Cybercrime Law.[11] On another occasion, he represented the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in arguing that local government officials cannot deny applications for rally permits except on grounds that the conduct of the same will result in a clear and present danger to the state.[12]

He also helped secure for Boracay Foundation a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) to stop the reclamation of 42 hectares of land in Caticlan due to the absence of studies and guarantees that it would not damage Boracay Island.[13] Roque won the first ever granted petition for the writ of Amparo in favor of a journalist,[14] as well as another petition for Amparo - the second application for writ of Amparo where the Court of Appeals issued protective orders.[15]

He mentored and coached some of the UP College of Law moot teams that went on to win in various competitions, including the 2015 Oxford Price Moot Court Competition in Oxford, UK, where the team beat 91 others.[16] He also mentored the team that won prizes in the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Competition held in Hong Kong on March 18, 2015,[17] and the team that won the championship on March 11–12, 2005. In March 2012, Team Philippines made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 Jessup International Law Moot Court competition in Washington DC.[18]

After becoming a congressman, Roque resigned as a member of the Center for International Law (Centerlaw).[19] He was the principal author of the Universal Health Coverage Bill, which was passed on third and final reading by the House of Representatives on September 6, 2017. Roque defended the bill during the plenary debates.[20]

Roque was also one of three representatives who endorsed the impeachment case against the former Comelec chairman, Andres Bautista.[21]

Roque assumed the role of President Duterte's presidential spokesperson on November 6, 2017.[22] According to Duterte, "To get the message clear, sabi ko, Harry will fit the... kasi medyo malikot ang bunganga namin."[23] This translates to "To get the message clear, I said, Harry will fit the... because we both have slightly naughty mouths."

In August 2018, in defense of Duterte's controversial suggestion that the high rates of rape in Davao was caused by there being many attractive women there, Roque defended the president's comments, saying that "it's more liberal in the South".[24]

Months after resigning from his post to run in the 2019 midterm elections, Roque once again returned to his role as Duterte's presidential spokesperson, replacing Salvador Panelo, who also replaced him in 2018.[25][26] In concurrent capacity as Presidential Spokesperson, Roque is also the Spokesperson for the IATF.

On July 1, Roque was widely criticized for allegedly violating quarantine rules by visiting the Ocean Adventure marine theme park in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. He explained that his trip was not for leisure, as his main purpose of travel was to check on his family's business in Bataan: "I asked if they [Ocean Adventure] were open. I said, 'Why not?' because they were near where I was going." He also denied violating social distancing, saying: "I was only beside dolphins".[1] The photos of Roque's visit were uploaded on Facebook by Ocean Adventure but were taken down shortly. Roque has since apologized, but denied violating quarantine protocols: "Even though I did not violate any regulation, I recognize that some were offended by the photos. To those who were offended, my apologies. I am only human. My work has no weekends. So if a break is needed, you do it whenever possible."[27]