Viral video of Marcos allegedly using drugs 'malicious,' 'obviously fake'—government officials
The circulating video showing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. allegedly doing drugs was spread on social media to malign him, Malacañang said.
According to a report by The Philippine STAR, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin called the viral clip “malicious.”
“Koreano ‘yun, hindi Filipino,” he told reporters ahead of the Chief Executive’s third State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 22 at the Batasang Pambansa.
“Siguro para manira,” he continued.
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. likewise called the said video “malicious” and “unfair,” especially since it was shared just before the President’s annual address.
“It’s so unfair to the person at tsaka bakit mo tiniming sa SONA? Nandoon ‘yung malicious intent,” he told reporters in a video shared by ABS-CBN News. “Ang pinakahuli, bakit sa America? Bakit sa ibang bansa? Bakit hindi dito kung talagang ano, bakit hindi kayang panindigan kung ganun? ‘Yun lang ang mga katanungan na gusto kong ibato sa kababayan.”
He also asked the public to look at the shot closely, “particularly the earlobe.”
In a statement, the Department of National Defense said the "obviously fake video" started from a MAISUG rally in Los Angeles as it called the clip "a maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration." It added, "They will not succeed."
First son and Ilocos representative Sandro Marcos, for his part, echoed the statements of the aforementioned government officials and described it as "nothing but a pathetic the attempt to destabilize the administration of the President."
"We should really come to expect that from them at this point," he told reporters. "It's frankly pathetic."
'Malicious' clip now under investigation
Abalos disclosed that a team has been formed to specifically look into the matter.
“I created a team here para maimbestigahan ito,” he said, adding that the number of charges that could be filed against the perpetrators would depend on the results of the probe.
According to him, they are working with cybercrime experts and “will be requesting for the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) for help” to put an end to the issue.
“Nakita mo naman, naka-red carpet tayo. This is the fulfillment of the President for the last one year, ta-timing mong ganito. It’s so unfair. It’s so unfair for the President,” he stressed.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte earlier accused Marcos of using illegal drugs and alleged that the latter was part of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s watch list for narcotics—a claim that PDEA has denied. Marcos later reacted to Duterte’s remark and simply said he didn’t want to “dignify” it. (with reports from Alexis Romero)