Harry Roque
Harry Roque | |
|---|---|
 Roque in 2017 | |
| Presidential Spokesperson | |
| In office April 13, 2020 – November 15, 2021 | |
| President | Rodrigo Duterte |
| Deputy | China Jocson |
| Preceded by | Salvador Panelo |
| Succeeded by | Karlo Nograles |
| In office October 30, 2017 – October 15, 2018 | |
| President | Rodrigo Duterte |
| Deputy | China Jocson |
| Preceded by | Ernesto Abella |
| Succeeded by | Salvador Panelo |
| IATF-EID Spokesperson | |
| In office April 23, 2020 – November 15, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Karlo Nograles |
| Succeeded by | Karlo Nograles |
| Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for Kabayan party-list | |
| In office July 25, 2016 – October 30, 2017 Serving with Ron Salo | |
| Succeeded by | Ciriaco Calalang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Herminio Harry Lopez Roque Jr. October 21, 1966 |
| Party | PRP (2018–present) HNP (2018–present) |
Other political affiliations | KABAYAN (partylist; 2015–2017) |
| Spouse |
Mylah Reyes (m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.A.) University of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B.) London School of Economics (LL.M.) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
alma_mater which should be merged with/replaced by education.Herminio Harry Lopez Roque Jr. (Tagalog: [ˈrɔkɛ]; born October 21, 1966) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, former law professor, and a fugitive. He served as the presidential spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2017 to 2018 and from 2020 to 2021. He was the party-list representative of KABAYAN from 2016 to 2017.
Roque taught constitutional law and public international law for 15 years at the University of the Philippines College of Law. In his law practice, he notably represented the victims of the Maguindanao massacre and the family of Jennifer Laude, a trans woman killed by a U.S. Marine.
Roque was originally opposed to Duterte's candidacy in 2016, describing him as a "self-professed murderer", but became a strong supporter after being appointed as Duterte's presidential spokesperson in October 2017. On November 22, 2017, he was designated presidential adviser for human rights concurrent with being the presidential spokesperson. Roque was a strong advocate for the Philippines' membership in the International Criminal Court, but later sided with President Duterte in withdrawing from the court in the late 2010s.
Roque is a member of the Advisory Council of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) and was president of AsianSIL from 2018 to 2019.
Once regarded as a staunch human rights advocate, Roque's transition into a chief defender of the Duterte administration—widely condemned for extrajudicial killings and rights abuses—drew sharp criticism. As of 2025, Roque faces multiple legal controversies, including contempt of Congress, disbarment petitions, and human trafficking charges linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). He has since left the Philippines with a pending asylum application in the Netherlands.