INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to form a task force to investigate a “malicious” viral video allegedly showing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sniffing a powdery substance believed to be illegal drugs.
In a press conference, Abalos said he is convinced that the man in the video was not Marcos, noting that such fake videos can be made easily through artificial intelligence.
“Sa pagtingin namin sa video, hindi ako naniniwala na ang lalaking nandun ay ang ating Pangulo. Sa tagal na kilala ko ang ating Pangulo, ang mga features niya, hindi siya yun,” Abalos said, noting the “extreme difference” between the ears of the man in the video and those of Marcos.
(In our examination of the video, I do not believe that the man there is our President. Having known our President for a long time, his features, that is not him.)
“Sa tagal na kakilala ko ang ating pangulo, ako ay naniniwala, ako na ang magsasabi na he does not indulge in this kind of activity,” he added.
(Having known our President for a long time, I believe, and I will say that he does not indulge in this kind of activity.)
He questioned the timing of the release of the video, which was made hours before the State of the Nation Address of Marcos.
Abalos said he has yet to talk to the President about the matter and that he called up the press conference to discuss it on his own will.
The video was reportedly played in an anti-Marcos government rally abroad and has since made rounds on social media.
He assured that those behind the proliferation of the video will be held liable in accordance with the Anti-cybercrime Law.
Abalos urged the public to be vigilant and to not easily believe the things they see online, especially if they come from unverified sources.
“Bakit kailangan gawin sa abroad bakit hindi dito kung talagang totoo yan at kayang panindigan ng mga taong ito,” he said.
(Why does it need to be done abroad? Why not here if it is really true and if these people can truly stand by it?)
'Crude attempt'
Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the video circulating from a Maisug gathering in Los Angeles was "obviously fake."
It said it was part of a maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration of Marcos.
“Even the release of the contrived video in the USA is a cowardly attempt to escape Philippine criminal jurisdiction,” the DND said.
“We urge the proper US authorities to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this disgusting act,” it added.
In January, former President Rodrigo Duterte tagged Marcos as a drug addict and “bangag,” a term locally used to describe someone who is high on illegal drugs.
He claimed that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency showed him a list of drug personalities, which includes Marcos.
Several weeks later, an authority to operate and a pre-operation report, both dated March 11, 2012, allegedly issued by PDEA, which includes Marcos as among the targets, made rounds online.
It has prompted the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs chaired by Senator Ronald dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police and a known staunch supporter of Duterte, to investigate the leaked PDEA document.
Jonathan Morales, a former PDEA agent, claimed legitimacy of the document, saying he was the one who processed it and interviewed the asset.
In the same hearing, PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo maintained that there were no such documents on the PDEA Plans and Operations Reports Management Information System (Pormis) and that Marcos was never on a PDEA list of drug personalities.
Marcos earlier said he will not "dignify" the allegations linking him to illegal drugs. (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)