Harry Roque

Roque received his Bachelor of Arts (economics and political science) from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (1986), Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines (1990) and Master of Laws with merits from the London School of Economics (1996).[6]

Through the advocacy group Center for International Law (Centerlaw), of which he was one of the founders, Roque and his team represented victims of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre;[7] the Malaya Lolas, victims of systematic rape and abuse by the Japanese Imperial Army;[8] the family of the killed transgender Jennifer Laude;[9] and the family of the murdered environmental advocate and media man Gerry Ortega of Palawan.[10]

Roque has argued before the Supreme Court on several occasions. On the Supreme Court website, the retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura identifies him "as among those who have impressed him when they had argued before the Supreme Court".[11]

Among the cases Roque argued before the high court were questioning President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Presidential Proclamation 1017 and General Order No. 5,[12] placing the country under a State of Emergency partially unconstitutional for infringing on the constitutionally protected rights of free speech, peaceful assembly and freedom of the press.[13] He is also among the five counsels allowed to argue specific issues raised against the Cybercrime Law.[14] On another occasion, he represented the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in arguing that local government officials cannot deny applications for rally permits except on grounds that the conduct of the same will result in a clear and present danger to the state.[15]

He also helped secure for Boracay Foundation a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) to stop the reclamation of 42 hectares of land in Caticlan due to the absence of studies and guarantees that it would not damage Boracay Island.[16] Roque won the first ever granted petition for the writ of Amparo in favor of a journalist,[17] as well as another petition for Amparo - the second application for writ of Amparo where the Court of Appeals issued protective orders.[18]

He mentored and coached some of the UP College of Law moot teams that won in various competitions, including the 2015 Oxford Price Moot Court Competition in Oxford, UK, where the team beat 91 others.[19] He also mentored the team that won prizes in the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Competition held in Hong Kong on March 18, 2015,[20] and the team that won the championship on March 11–12, 2005. In March 2012, Team Philippines made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 Jessup International Law Moot Court competition in Washington, D.C.[21]

Roque was nominated by the Philippine government to the International Law Commission in 2021. As part of his bid he proposed an international treaty on equal COVID-19 vaccine access and the recognition of the permanent presence of states which could possibly sink below sea level due to global warming.[22] Roque's bid was vehemently objected by various sectors such as the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan leftist group,[23] around 150 lawyers, the Free Legal Assistance Group,[22] the executive committee of his alma mater University of the Philippines Diliman,[24] and the UP Integrated High School[25] for his role as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. He failed to garner enough votes to win one of the eight seats in contention.[26][27]

Roque is a Protestant.[42] He is married to Mylah Reyes, a former television reporter, with whom he has two children.[43][6]