Roque says no violation on his side trip in Subic resort

July 2, 2020

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday that he did not violate any law, including the quarantine rules, when he made a side trip to a resort in Subic, Zambales and had photos taken beside the dolphins.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said his trip outside Metro Manila, which is under the general community quarantine, was not for leisure.

"It's not for leisure...I am an APOR (Authorized Person Outside Residence)...it was my first time to go home yesterday because it's first day of MGCQ (modified general community quarantine)," he said.

Under the new quarantine classification of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Bataan is placed under MGCQ and Zambales under "low risk" MGCQ.

The spokesman said he went to Bataan to check his agriculture-related business, such as hogs and fruits, and he also gave personal protective equipment in a hospital in the province.

Roque said he hailed from Bataan.

"So I went home because I really need to check my losing ventures," he said.

He also said that his trip to Ocean Adventure was not planned and swimming is allowed even under GCQ because it is a non-contact sports.

"And if I violated social distancing, those beside me are dolphins, not a person," he said.

"So, I did not violate any regulation," he said.

But Roque apologized if he offended anyone upon seeing his photos at the resort.

"Although I recognized that there could be others who were offended when they saw the pictures. And for those who were offended, I apologize, I'm just human," he said, adding that this would not happen again.

Roque's photos posted by Ocean Adventure, but later deleted, became viral on social media on Wednesday, drawing criticisms from some netizens amid the government's frequent reminders to the public to avoid going outside their homes and to observe minimum health standards. Celerina Monte/DMS