Former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque is facing a disbarment case filed in the Supreme Court by former cabinet secretary Atty. Melvin Matibag.
Matibag, however, declined to reveal specific details of the case but confirmed that it includes issues related to Roque’s social media activity, particularly a “polvoron” deepfake video allegedly featuring a lookalike of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Experts had previously raised concerns over the growing use of deepfakes, particularly after a digitally manipulated video falsely depicting President Marcos Jr. emerged in July, showing him allegedly using drugs.
Officials labeled the video as part of an attempt to destabilize the government.
Matibag denied that the disbarment case is a form of harassment against Roque, who has been openly critical of President Marcos Jr. Roque is also facing contempt charges in the House of Representatives.
Matibag mentioned that the Supreme Court may use the case to establish jurisprudence on how lawyers should behave, especially in the realm of social media.
Currently, there is no precedent regarding the use of deepfake videos against a sitting president in the Philippines.