ERMITA, Manila — The daughter of beleaguered former presidential spokesman Atty. Herminio ‘Harry’ Roque Jr., Bianca Hacintha, has filed a petition for a Writ of Amparo, certiorari and prohibition petitions that seeks a temporary protective order (TRO) from the High Tribunal as relief against the enforcement of her father’s arrest warrant and the subpoena duces tecum.

Roque was ordered arrested and detained by the House Quad Committee chaired by Surigao del Norte District II representative Robert Ace Barbers after he was cited for contempt a second time in failing to submit subpoenaed documents crucial to the joint panel’s investigation on the controversial drug war and Roque’s tax records and statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN).

Instead of complying to the Quad Comm’s demand, Roque had gone into hiding and vowed not to surrender.

Subsequently and in Roque’s absence in the next hearings, evidence was uncovered that pointed to Duterte’s former spokesman links with Lucky South 99 that operated the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga, which was raided last June and where authorities unearthed evidence of illegal activities such as human trafficking, torture, scam farms, prostitution and pornography.

In her petition to the Supreme Court, Roque’s daughter cited that “the actions of the respondents (referring to members of Quad-Comm) were committed with grave abuse of discretion in exercising their legislative powers in an abusive manner and in usurping the investigative powers reserved for the Executive Branch and the adjudicative powers reserved for the Judicial Branch of government.”

Aside from asking the stoppage in the enforcement of her father’s arrest order, Bianca Hacintha likewise asked the court to halt the Quad Comm from compelling her father to produce any additional document or attend future hearings.

“My father has already provided all the information that are relevant and pertinent to the subject of the congressional inquiry,” she pointed out.

“During those public hearings, he (Roque) answered all the questions of the committees forthrightly, without invoking any excuse. He never evaded any question. He provided every information that was required of him by the house committees,” she added.

“Quad Com has wielded its contempt power capriciously and whimsically, meting out punishment just because some of its members did not like the answer of the resource persons, or because the resource persons are invoking their constitutional rights.”

At the same time, Roque’s daughter cited that “legislative inquiry must respect the individual rights invited to or affected by the legislative inquiry or investigation; hence, the power of legislative inquiry must be carefully balanced with the private rights of those affected.”

“A person’s right against self-incrimination and to due process cannot be swept aside in favor of the purported public need of legislative inquiry,” she stressed.