Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has strongly denied any involvement in the viral “polvoron video” that allegedly showed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. using illegal drugs. This comes after vlogger Vicente Cunanan, also known as Pebbles, accused Roque of being the source of the clip during a House hearing.
In a livestream posted from the Netherlands, where Roque is currently seeking political asylum, he and fellow vlogger Maharlika slammed Cunanan’s claims, suggesting there are questionable motives behind the allegation.
“His character is truly questionable — from being a fierce critic of Marcos to now being a bootlicker. Why? How much was it? What’s the reason? Tell us, why?” Roque said in Filipino.
Roque expressed sympathy rather than anger toward Cunanan, adding, “Sorry Pebbles, but I really share the view of Maharlika that we are not mad at you, but if ever, we pity you because we understand that we are not like you who rely only on online selling for a living, we have some savings because we happened to get by with our work.”
Cunanan earlier testified that Roque told a group of vloggers that a video, allegedly showing Marcos using cocaine, came from a politician’s relative. He further stated the clip was manipulated to damage the president’s reputation.
But Roque denied even making such remarks, arguing that public frustration over the Marcos administration’s performance is a bigger threat to its stability than any viral video.
“Now, is the video enough to overthrow the government? No, because what would overthrow the government is a combined opinion from the masses that they no longer deserve to stay in power. Not Harry Roque, don’t give mo too much credit, as if I’m too good,” he said.
Cunanan’s allegations have stirred controversy in the ongoing investigation by a tri-committee in Congress probing the rise of fake news and disinformation on social media. Despite his claims, both the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation have concluded that the man in the video was not Marcos.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are urging the public to be vigilant amid the growing threat of AI-generated content and deepfake videos, including a recent clip mimicking the President’s voice, which the Palace has officially denounced.
