Photo by Senate of the Philippines
A FORMER acting Cabinet secretary under the Duterte administration filed disbarment complaint against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque with the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Lawyer Melvin Matibag cited Roque’s social media posts as the basis for the complaint.
“We filed this disbarment case as officers of the court. We lawyers are given the privilege to practice law, but with that privilege comes responsibility,” Matibag said in an ambush interview.
The complaint specifically targets a deep fake video of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. allegedly using drugs that Roque posted on social media in July. The video went viral, but authorities have confirmed that the individual in the video is not Marcos.
“It’s been established that it’s fake news, fake evidence. We’ll see how the Supreme Court will view this, considering that a lawyer was the one who posted it,” Matibag said. He declined to discuss the complaint further, citing the subjudice rule.
In a Facebook post, Roque dismissed the complaint as a “desperate act of attention.” He defended his actions, arguing that posting the video on social media is protected under the privileged doctrine of free speech.
“We have to understand that the video involves a serious disease of a President that deserves an admission or denial. PBBM has not done either,” Roque said in a statement. He also claimed that the video was a matter of national security.
Roque further alleged that the House of Representatives Quad Committee targeted him due to the video. The House cited Roque in contempt and ordered his arrest after he refused to submit documents that would supposedly justify his increased wealth.
Roque concluded by emphasizing that disbarment complaints should not be made public.
