Deepfake 'polvoron video' orchestrated by Roque — probe testimony

The now-infamous "polvoron video" — a digitally manipulated clip falsely depicting President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. snorting cocaine — was not only fake but part of a calculated plan to discredit and destabilize the administration, a House inquiry revealed Tuesday.

In a hearing led by Rep. Romeo Acop, social media personality Vincent Cunanan, more widely known online as “Pebbles,” testified that former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque is one of the orchestrators of the dissemination of the deepfake video. Cunanan detailed a private dinner discussion after a Hakbang ng Maisug rally in Hong Kong where Roque allegedly floated the idea of releasing a fabricated photo of the President.

“When I arrived at the restaurant, that [the photo] was the topic,” Cunanan said, referring to a manipulated clip that was eventually released by US-based vlogger Maharlika during a Maisug event in Los Angeles on 22 July 2024 — the same day as President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address in Quezon City.

The Philippine National Police and independent fact-checking organizations have since confirmed the video was AI-generated and digitally enhanced to resemble the President.

Dinner talks

According to Cunanan’s affidavit, Roque allegedly claimed, “Nagkamali sila. Magaling ako magpabagsak ng gobyerno” (They made a mistake. I’m good at bringing down governments).

Cunanan said the discussion at the dinner focused on how the supposed cocaine-snorting image should be released through a foreign influencer or journalist to lend it “international credibility.”

“They were giving opinions that it might be better to have the video released by an international blogger, or even the Australian reporter who interviewed the President. But nothing was agreed upon,” Cunanan recalled.

He clarified that no actual image was shown during the dinner, but Roque led the conversation and implied he had damning material against the President.

When asked directly if the plan to spread the video was part of a broader move to overthrow the government, Cunanan responded, “Yes, I think that was their plan.”

Maharlika’s deepfake?

The testimony also revealed how Maharlika — who released the first version of the deepfake video — had prior knowledge of its contents, even messaging Cunanan days before the video’s release, describing the President’s outfit in the clip. “She told me he was wearing green and asked me to go along with it,” he said.

A higher-quality version of the video was later uploaded on 25 August. Cunanan said he did not attend the Vancouver rally but watched the events unfold live on Facebook, confirming Roque’s prominent presence onstage.

The enhanced video was made from a lower-quality original that was, according to Cunanan, “clearly not the President.” He stressed: “If you look closely at the person in the video, it doesn’t even resemble BBM. I’ve known him for a long time.”

Pressed further, Cunanan asserted, “It was clearly made — they released a blurred raw video to make it look more like BBM, then enhanced it to make it more believable, then used AI.”

Asked who he believed was behind the creation of the deepfake, Cunanan said: “Not just Atty. Harry Roque. I don’t know who else — but definitely not just him.”

As of press time, Roque has not responded to the allegations raised during the hearing.

Cited for contempt

The House Tri-Committee cited vlogger Sass Rogando Sasot, as well as online commentators Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz and Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, in contempt for their repeated failure to appear before the panel.

Sasot reportedly attempted to join via Zoom from China during a previous hearing, but the committee rejected her online attendance and ordered her physical appearance.

Mark Lopez, another vlogger, was also cited in contempt on Tuesday for allegedly maligning the panel in a social media post following his earlier testimony.

Sasot, Celiz, Badoy-Partosa, and Lopez are now ordered detained at the House of Representatives until the conclusion of the hearings.