The Palace on Wednesday dared former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque to return to the country and clear his name.

The statement comes after Roque refuted Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim that his application for asylum in Austria was denied.

“Ang dapat na ginagawa ng bawat Pilipino, kung mayro’n mang kinakaharap na usapin, at alam niya sa sarili niya na siya ay malinis at walang bahid ng anumang pagkakamali, dapat maging matapang na harapin, kung ano man ang nagiging usapin patungkol sa kanya,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a Malacañang press briefing.

She clarified this applied to all who were facing allegations, not just Roque. She added that one should not use their influence to evade accountability.

“Hindi puwedeng gamitin ang impluwensya, ang lakas, ang taumbayan para makaiwas ka sa mga ibinabato sa’yo,” she said.

“So harapin, at ipakita mo ‘yung sarili mong ebidensya na maaari mong magamit para malinis ang iyong pangalan,” she emphasized.

If Remulla plans to carry out legal action against Roque—who is subject to a non-bailable qualified trafficking case in connection with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99 Corp.—Castro said he should not warn Roque of such intentions.

“Kung mayro’ng ibang mga legal na operasyon na gagawin ang DILG, definitely, mayro’n tayong kasabihan na, ‘Do not telegraph your punches,’” she said.

On Tuesday, Roque dismissed Remulla’s statement as “fake news,” arguing that the passage of six months since his application does not necessarily indicate its denial.

“For the nth time, Secretary Jonvic Remulla has publicly claimed that my application for asylum in Austria has been denied. This is fake news,” Roque said.

“There is no such rule that automatically converts the passage of six months into a denial of an asylum application,” he added, adding that he continues to await the Austrian government’s official decision.