Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is now facing a disbarment case filed before the Supreme Court by former Cabinet Secretary Atty. Melvin Matibag. The case, filed Tuesday morning, is centered around Roque’s social media posts, particularly his involvement in the “polvoron” video controversy, which featured President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Matibag declined to disclose full details but cited Roque’s video as one reason for the disbarment. “The disbarment proceedings are confidential, so I can’t discuss the specifics. But just to cite one instance, the polvoron video, which was a deepfake, is part of the reason,” Matibag stated.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining high ethical standards as a lawyer. “As officers of the court, we must uphold a high standard, especially when using social media,” he added.
The video, which went viral in July, was deemed a “deepfake” by officials, allegedly part of an effort to destabilize the government. Matibag, however, denied that the case was an act of harassment, noting that it could set a precedent for how lawyers should conduct themselves online.
Roque responded by dismissing the case as a “desperate act of attention.” He also highlighted that disbarment complaints should remain private and argued that social media posts fall under free speech. “Posting videos is protected by free speech under the privileged doctrine,” Roque said.
Matibag and Roque were both former Cabinet members during President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration and once belonged to the same political party. Despite this, Matibag stressed that the filing had no personal motivations. “He is my friend. We were part of the same administration, so this is not personal,” Matibag concluded.