#54 Harry Spox Roque

Herminiano Lopez Roque Jr. (born on October 21, 1966), popularly known as Harry, is a lawyer and politician.

He was the spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte for a year from October 2017, and for eight months in 2021.

Roque served as Kabalikat ng Mamamayan (Kabayan) representative in the House of Representatives from 2016 until he left for Malacañang. He faced issues with Kabayan party members, including efforts to oust him from his congressional seat.

He filed his certificate of candidacy for senator for the 2019 elections but dropped out of the race before the beginning of the campaign period, citing health reasons.

Roque is criticized for his support of the war on drugs and other problematic policies of the Duterte government despite his prior practice as a human rights lawyer. His bid for a seat at the United Nations International Law Commission in 2021 was met by huge opposition. Roque eventually lost the elections.

He was previously a law professor and director of the University of the Philippines Law Center’s Institute of International Legal Studies. | Rappler

Issues and Stands

Safe re-opening of schools and transition to face-to-face classes

Ensure that quality internet is available to students and work to provide subsidies to ensure they can keep up in their classes (i.e., load or laptop subsidies)

Integrate Human Rights and Peace Education into basic and secondary education curriculum

Junking of Anti-Terror Law

Demand that campaigns declare online campaign expenditures beyond their official social media accounts (i.e., influencers engaged, unofficial groups or pages tapped, etc.)

Increased participation of the youth in local and national governance by allowing them to influence & craft legislation

Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and support their increased participation in cultural spaces

Legalization of Divorce

Increase national minimum wage to P750

Increase budget for farming and fishing support/infrastructure

Enact the right to an adequate food bill or the Zero Hunger Bill

Continue support for the rice tariffication law

Seeking climate change accountability from better developed, high-pollutant countries

Increase financial and technical support for local climate adaptation and mitigation projects

Support for Open Pit Mining

Pass an Alternative Mining Act in accordance with human rights norms, standards, and obligations

Increase funding for mental health support

Decriminalizing Abortion

Reparations for Martial Law Victims & Retrieval of Marcos’ Ill-gotten Wealth

Criminalizing of Vote-buying

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