A social media influencer accused former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque of orchestrating the release of a doctored video falsely showing President Marcos using cocaine, claiming it was part of a deliberate campaign to bring down the administration.
The revelation came even as tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, signaled its willingness to help the Philippine government curb the wave of disinformation being fed to the public through social media.
In a sworn affidavit submitted to the House Tri-Committee during yesterday’s hearing, influencer Vicente Bencalo “Pebbles” Cunanan said the video in question – widely referred to as the “polvoron video” – was part of an orchestrated effort to damage Marcos’ credibility and incite public backlash against his administration.
“I believe that Atty. Roque was the original source of the ‘polvoron video’ and that he was the one who disseminated it to the public to destroy the credibility of the President,” Cunanan stated in his affidavit written in Filipino.
Cunanan also recounted a meeting with Roque in Hong Kong on July 7, 2024, wherein details of an apparent destabilization plot were discussed.
“What I remember most that night was when Atty. Roque said: I am good at bringing down governments,” he further wrote.
“Based on my understanding, and because that was one of the things discussed that night, the dissemination of the video wherein PBBM was allegedly using cocaine was part of Atty. Roque’s claim of overthrowing the government,” Cunanan added.
Also present at the gathering were former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez, influencers Atty. Glen Chong, Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Dr. Lorraine Badoy, Sass Rogando Sasot, Joie de Vivre, and Tio Moreno.
Cunanan said the group discussed how to leak the video to the public without exposing themselves to liability.
The video was later made public for the first time by Roque himself during the Maisug Rally held in Vancouver, Canada, on July 20 – just one day before Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address.
Also, during the Tri-Comm’s hearing, Meta executives signaled strong support for congressional efforts to create an anti-fake news regulatory body.
Responding to a question from House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union, Meta’s Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia Dr. Rafael Frankel said the company was ready to work with Congress to help protect users and uphold democratic values.
“Would Meta support a Philippine regulatory committee for social media platforms so that they can partner and help out that same regulatory committee if it was formed? I believe your presence here would be a big help and a good sign in this inquiry. But again we are aiming towards a regulatory committee that would help us especially combat fake news,” Ortega said.
Frankel replied: “I’d be more than happy for Meta as a company to engage with the Philippine government and Congress on any type of regulations that you are considering when it comes to these issues.”
“I think we have now many years of experience in terms of working with governments around Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific and globally to come up with modalities and regulations that really can help protect users but also protect freedom of expression, that try to properly balance freedom of expression and safety in Meta of course account for local nuance,” he continued.
However, he pointed out that Meta already has local third party checkers that “are looking to determine if pieces of contents are misinformation.”
“We work with three third-party fact-checkers in the Philippines— Vera Files, Rappler, and AFP (Agence France-Presse). And again, all of them, of course, are local and have local context, local native language capabilities,” Frankel added.
Meanwhile, former Vice President and veteran broadcaster Noli De Castro on Tuesday insisted that Meta should be held accountable for the spread of fake news, saying it bears “great responsibility” as the main platform enabling disinformation.
De Castro remarked in response to questions from House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun.
“I believe that Meta has a big responsibility because they have the means to spread that, no one else. If Facebook, for example, only Facebook will spread that. There is nothing else. Facebook to Facebook. Those who have Facebook,” he said in Filipino.
The former vice president recounted being a frequent target of fake news, including fabricated quote cards and a 2021 hoax that falsely reported his death.
For his part, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, vice chair of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology , said misinformation and fake news on social media have reached crisis proportions and now threaten the country’s democratic foundations.
“We will continue our exploration of the multi-dimensional aspects of this crisis, examining the roles of social media platforms, the impact of algorithmic amplification, and the psychological mechanisms that make individuals susceptible to false information,” he added.
He pointed out that while digital platforms have enabled greater access to information, they have also created an environment where harmful narratives can flourish.