Former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque is no longer permitted to travel due to the cancellation of his passport, said the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday.

“He should not be able to travel without a valid passport. Immigration authorities at any country can detain him for traveling without proper travel documentation. This fact is certain,” DOJ Spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez said.

The statement comes after Roque contested circulating claims of his arrest and announced that he was flying to Vienna, Austria.

Martinez clarified that the agency has yet to receive an official report regarding Roque’s arrest or travel. He said that, in keeping with Republic Act (RA) No. 11983, or the New Philippine Passport Act, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) may cancel Roque’s passport via its database.

“The DOJ operates only on verified facts and no fact (neither the alleged facts of arrest nor travel) has been verified with absolute certainty,” he stated.

“Without speaking for the DFA—while there was no physical way for the DFA to physically mark his passport as ‘cancelled’ since fugitive from justice nga po siya, may Passport Database po ang DFA to implement its routine procedures in accordance with RA No. 11983,” he added.

Earlier, Roque shared a photo of his plane ticket from Amsterdam, Netherlands, bound for Vienna, Austria. On Monday, he said the cancellation of his passport is not yet final, adding that he will file a motion for reconsideration to appeal the decision.