Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque strongly rejected allegations made during a congressional hearing that linked him to the so-called “polvoron video” — a digitally manipulated clip depicting someone who resembled President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. snorting cocaine.

Calling the hearing of the House Tri-Committee a “scripted show,” Roque described the testimony of social media personality Vincent Cunanan, aka “Pebbles,” as based on “hearsay and outright lies.”

Cunanan claimed Roque was behind the circulation of the video, saying the former spokesman of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte boasted at a private dinner in Hong Kong that he was “good at bringing down governments.”

Roque dismissed the claim as false, stating, “That’s not true. It’s not in my power to bring down a government. The fate of President Marcos lies in the hands of the Filipino people — not in mine.”

He also dismissed Cunanan’s affidavit, calling it “worthless” and based on opinion rather than fact.

“Opinion is different from truth,” Roque said. “That affidavit does not mean anything.”

Inconsistencies

Roque also pointed out contradictions in Cunanan’s testimony, specifically on the video’s origin.

“First of all, Maharlika was never in Vancouver. And the video didn’t debut there. It premiered in Los Angeles, even Maharlika herself, once a Marcos defender, confirmed that,” Roque said, referring to the social media personality who allegedly released the controversial video.

He criticized Cunanan, a vlogger, for posing as an expert witness on digital forensics.

“I thought vloggers were fake news peddlers. When did Pebbles become a forensic expert?” Roque quipped.

He also mocked the Tri-Committee’s investigation, saying, “The TriComm has a ready script, complete with a PowerPoint presentation featuring photos from the dinner, a video, and screenshots.”

Roque then made light of his own reputation, saying: “If BBM (President Marcos) allegedly has a drug problem, mine is a food trip. There’s no way I’m close enough to the President to be trusted with any compromising material.”

Video’s source

Roque suggested the video likely came from someone in President Marcos’s inner circle.

“Only someone close to Marcos could have taken that video and given it to Maharlika,” he said.

He expressed disappointment in Cunanan, whom he once considered an ally.

“It saddened me to see her make a 180-degree turn,” Roque said.

AI-generated

The “polvoron video,” a deepfake clip showing a man resembling Marcos snorting cocaine, was released during the 2024 Maisug event in Los Angeles, California. It quickly gained attention, but the Philippine National Police and independent fact-checkers confirmed the video was AI-generated and digitally enhanced to look like President Marcos.

Cunanan testified that Roque had floated the idea of releasing a fabricated image of the President during a dinner after a Hakbang ng Maisug rally in Hong Kong.

Cunanan claimed Roque had discussed how the video could be released by an international influencer for credibility.

The testimony also revealed that Maharlika, who released the first version of the video, had prior knowledge of its content, even describing the President’s outfit in the clip before its release.