Harry Roque facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Roque
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
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 |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Political party | People's Reform Party (2018–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
KABAYAN Partylist (2015–2017) Hugpong ng Pagbabago (2018–present) |
| Spouse |
Mylah Reyes
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Quezon City |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.A.) University of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B.) London School of Economics (LL.M.) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Herminio Harry Lopez Roque Jr. (born October 21, 1966) is a Filipino lawyer and politician. He used to be a law professor. He served as the official spokesperson for President Rodrigo Duterte two times: from 2017 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2021. Before that, he was a party-list representative for KABAYAN from 2016 to 2017.
Roque taught constitutional law and public international law for 15 years. He taught at the University of the Philippines College of Law. As a lawyer, he helped people who were victims of serious events. He also represented families in important legal cases.
President Rodrigo Duterte asked Roque to be his spokesperson. He was officially appointed on October 27, 2017. He also became a presidential adviser for human rights in November 2017. Roque is part of the Advisory Council of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL). He was also the president of AsianSIL from 2018 to 2019.
Contents
Education and Learning
Harry Roque studied at different universities. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan in 1986. He then got his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines in 1990. Later, he completed his Master of Laws degree with honors from the London School of Economics in 1996.
Legal Work and Cases
Roque has presented cases before the Supreme Court many times. A retired Supreme Court Justice, Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, said that Roque was one of the lawyers who impressed him.
Some of the cases Roque argued involved important issues. He questioned certain orders from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. These orders placed the country under a State of Emergency. He argued that they limited people's rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. He also argued against parts of the Cybercrime Law. In another case, he argued that local officials cannot stop rallies unless there is a clear danger.
Roque also helped protect Boracay Island. He secured an order to stop land reclamation that could harm the island. He also won the first-ever Writ of Amparo for a journalist. This writ helps protect people's rights to life, liberty, and security.
Roque also coached UP College of Law moot teams. These teams won many competitions. For example, a team he mentored won the 2015 Oxford Price Moot Court Competition in the UK. They beat 91 other teams. He also guided teams that won prizes in other international law competitions.
Political Journey
As a Congressman
.jpg)
After becoming a congressman in the 17th Congress, Roque left his role at the Center for International Law. He was a main author of several important laws. These included the Universal Health Coverage Law. This law aims to provide healthcare for everyone. He also helped create the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act. Other laws he supported were the Free Irrigation Service Act and a national feeding program for students. He also helped pass the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
Roque was also one of the representatives who supported an impeachment case. This case was against the former Comelec chairman, Andres Bautista.
As Presidential Spokesperson
Roque became President Duterte's presidential spokesperson on November 6, 2017. President Duterte said Roque was a good fit for the job. Roque explained that his job was to clearly share the President's views and positions.
Running for Senate in 2019
On October 5, 2018, it was reported that Roque wanted to run for a Senate seat. However, President Duterte said Roque might not win. On October 9, Roque reportedly thought about resigning. This was because he was not told about a hospital visit by Duterte. He eventually resigned on October 15. He then planned to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. But later, on October 17, he officially filed to run for Senator.
On February 1, 2019, Roque decided not to run for the Senate. He said this was due to a medical condition.
Return to Spokesperson Role
In April 2020, Roque returned as President Duterte's spokesperson. He replaced Salvador Panelo.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Roque also became the spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. This happened on April 13, 2020. He took over from Karlo Nograles.
Running for Senate in 2022
Roque filed his papers to run for the Senate election on November 15, 2021. This meant he automatically resigned from his spokesperson roles. He ran under the People's Reform Party. He said he had promised to run for Senate if Sara Duterte decided to seek a national position.
Personal Life
Harry Roque is a Protestant. In October 1999, he married Mylah Reyes. She was a television reporter. They met during a congressional hearing. The couple has two children.
