A FORMER Cabinet official under the Duterte administration yesterday filed a disbarment complaint against his former colleague and presidential spokesperson Harry Roque before the Supreme Court in relation to the latter’s social media post linking President Marcos Jr. to the viral “polvoron” issue.
Lawyer Melvin Matibag, who served as acting Cabinet secretary in the previous administration and as secretary general of the PDP-Laban faction chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte, said the filing of the complaint would provide the high court a chance to set definite rules on how officers of the court, including lawyers, should use social media.
“He is my friend, we belonged to the same party before, we belonged to the same administration, he was the spokesperson during the time I was the Cabinet secretary so there is nothing personal here, and I think Atty. Roque will be professional enough to answer the complaint,” Matibag told reporters after filing the case.
“I filed this disbarment case as an officer of the court. Alam mo kaming mga lawyers we were given the privilege to practice the law (Lawyers were given the privilege to practice the law), but we have our responsibilities also as enshrined in the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability. Recently, the Supreme Court updated it regarding sa pag-post sa social media, pag-upload at pag-repost ng anything (in relation to making posts in social media, to uploading and re-posting anything),” Matibag said.
“I’m doing this to help the judiciary to come up with a jurisprudence for us lawyers to be guided, for us to know, with respect, sa pagpost sa (to posting anything in) social media. Ano ba ang dapat na behavior namin in social media platforms (How should we behave with regards to social media platforms),” he added.
In a statement, Roque branded the disbarment case as a “desperate act of attention” and Matibag’s alleged bid to get back at him for making such posts.
“The disbarment case filed against me for my social media post on the polvoronic media is a desperate act of attention. Complaints of disbarment, first and foremost, should not be made in public,” he said, adding: “We have to understand that the posting of the video in social media is protected by free speech under the privileged doctrine.”
The polvoron issue involves a low-quality video of a man allegedly sniffing illegal drugs that spread online a day before the President’s State of the Nation Address last July.
Critics of the President were quick to point to Marcos as the man in the video despite Malacañang’s denial. The Palace said the video was “extensively manipulated” to make it appear that the man was the chief executive.
Roque insisted the issue involves national security as the lives and future of millions of Filipinos may be affected.
He also said the video “involves a serious disease of a President that deserves an admission or denial. PBBM (Marcos) has not done either.”
He added that the authenticity and the content of the video deserved widespread discussion.
“Sa lahat ng ito, isa lang ang sigurado: Pinupulbos ako ng Quad Committee dahil sa polvoronic video. Ayon na rin ito mismo sa mga dating kasamahan ko sa Kamara (In all these, one thing is sure: the Quad Committee is attacking me for the polvoronic video. And this is from my former colleagues at the House of Representatives),” Roque said. Matibag said the complaint is not part of any effort to harass the former presidential spokesperson, who has been criticizing the Marcos administration and is the subject of an arrest order stemming from contempt charges from the House of Representatives probing his alleged connection to the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga that was raided by authorities.
