Malacañang has rejected growing calls for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to submit to a hair follicle drug test, saying there is no legal or factual basis to demand this from the country’s highest official.

The clamor resurfaced this week following the renewed circulation of the so-called “polvoron video” — a digitally manipulated clip showing a man resembling Marcos allegedly snorting cocaine (See related story).

The video, initially released during a Maisug rally in Los Angeles, California in 2024, has been discredited by the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Deep Fakes Analysis Unit of the India-based Misinformation Combat Alliance.

Despite the debunking, some quarters have renewed the pressure on Marcos to take a drug test, among them, former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, now a senatorial candidate, and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the critics should present evidence before demanding anything from the President.

“What is the basis for asking the President to undergo a hair follicle test? Is it based on an actual accusation of illegal drug use? If there is an accusation, it’s the accuser’s responsibility to provide proof — not for the accused to prove his innocence. That is not the right logic,” Castro said.

A hair follicle test can detect drug use up to three months prior. While commonly used to test for drug use, it is not mandatory on public officials unless under legal order.

Prove it first

“You cannot just fabricate stories or use baseless suspicions to damage the President,” Castro said in Filipino. “If you want to demand something from the President, you must first prove he did something wrong.”

Her remarks followed testimony by vlogger Vincent “Pebbles” Cunanan during a House Tri-Committee hearing on fake news on Wednesday.

Cunanan claimed Roque was the original source of the “polvoron” video and he had boasted in Hong Kong about knowing how to “bring down governments.”

Roque denied the allegations, calling the hearing a “scripted show” and labeling Cunanan’s affidavit “hearsay and outright lies.”

“It’s not within my power to bring down a government,” Roque said. “The fate of President Marcos lies in the hands of the Filipino people — not in mine.”

He said the video could have only come from someone who was close to the President.

Castro said the video had already been subjected to forensic analysis and was determined to have been manipulated using a face-swapping technique.

She said the resurfacing of the video was a politically motivated attempt to undermine the presidency.

“We must remain vigilant against disinformation,” she said. “This is part of a coordinated attempt to erode public trust through lies.”

Asked if Marcos would consider a drug test to put the issue to rest, Castro reiterated that “the President has nothing to prove,” especially since the video in question had already been shown to be fake.