Harry Roque faces disbarment case over deepfake video
MANILA, Philippines — A cabinet member during the Rodrigo Duterte presidency filed a disbarment case against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, September 24.
Lawyer Melvin Matibag, the former head of the National Transmission Corp, is accusing Roque before the Supreme Court of disseminating a deepfake video of a person resembling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The person on the video is seen sniffing a powdery substance suggested to be crystal meth.
“It's been established that that is fake. Let's see how the Supreme Court will appreciate this,” Matibag said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Matibag was referring to a video released in July hours before Marcos’ State of the Nation Address. It has been declared a fake by the Department of National Defense, the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Matibag argued that Roque violated Canon II, Section 38 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability which stipulates that:
Non-posting of false or unverified statements, disinformation. - A lawyer shall not knowingly or maliciously post, share, upload, or otherwise disseminate false or unverified statements, claims, or commit any other act of disinformation.
A disbarment is the formal removal of a lawyer's license to practice law. It is a disciplinary action imposed by the Supreme Court to lawyers if they committed ethical violations, misconduct, or criminal activity.
Responding to claims against him, Roque called the complaint “desperate act of attention.”
“We have to understand that the posting of the video on social media is protected by free speech under the privileged doctrine. It involves a serious disease of a President that deserves an admission or denial. PBBM has not done either,” the former presidential spokesperson said in a Facebook post.
Roque also argued that the House of Representatives Quad Committee, which investigates his alleged involvement in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hub in Pampanga, targeted him due to the video.
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives held Roque in contempt and ordered his arrest after he declined to provide documents that were expected to explain his increased wealth.
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