Roque faces disbarment case

MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque is facing a disbarment complaint for supposedly spreading fake news on social media.

Lawyer Melvin Matibag yesterday filed the complaint before the Supreme Court.

He served as acting Cabinet secretary of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Roque was Duterte’s spokesman.

Matibag declined to provide details of the complaint, but he cited Roque’s social media posts, including a deepfake video of President Marcos supposedly using illegal drugs that went viral in July.

“It’s been established that that’s fake news, fake evidence. Let’s see how the Supreme Court will appreciate that a lawyer is posting it,” he told reporters.

Roque, in response, said the complaint is a “desperate act of attention.”

“The polvoronic video is a national security matter affecting the lives and future of millions of Filipinos. The authenticity and the content of the video deserve widespread discussion,” he argued.

Roque believes the deepfake video he posted on social media is “protected by free speech under the privileged doctrine.”

Lawyers should not “knowingly or maliciously post, share, upload or otherwise disseminate false or unverified statements, claims or commit any other act of disinformation,” according to section 38 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability.

Matibag said he filed the complaint “to help the judicial system come up with the jurisprudence for us lawyers to be guided on how to behave on social media.”

The quad committee of the House of Representatives earlier cited Roque in contempt and ordered his arrest after he refused to submit documents that would supposedly justify his increased wealth.

Evading arrest

Meanwhile, Roque is constantly on the move to evade the House quad comm’s arrest order, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Tracker teams were closing in on Roque’s last known location on Friday but he managed to slip past authorities, CIDG director Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco said yesterday.

“He did not stay in one place, so we’re monitoring him now,” he told reporters.

Francisco did not disclose where they initially tracked down Roque. Among the areas police looked into, he said, are exclusive subdivisions.

Roque has defied the House quad comm’s order through his daughter, Bianca Hacintha.

Hacintha earlier filed a petition for a writ of amparo before the Supreme Court to issue a temporary protection order.

The CIDG has requested the Bureau of Immigration for Roque’s travel records to determine if he is still in the country, Francisco said. — Emmanuel Tupas