DOJ vows legal action vs people behind ‘fake’ drug video featuring Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that it will take legal action against the individuals responsible for creating and spreading the fake video resembling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a message to reporters, DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said that the production and spreading of the video is illegal under Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC). 

“The timing of the release of this fake video, occurring just before the President's State of the Nation Address, unmistakably indicates an intent to undermine the credibility of the President and the critical speech he is set to deliver. This malicious act erodes public trust and poses a threat to public order by spreading misinformation,” Clavano said. 

“The Department of Justice is committed to upholding the law and will take all necessary actions to identify and prosecute those responsible for this deceitful act,” he added.

Article 154 of the RPC penalizes the unlawful publication of materials, which carries a possible jail time of one month and one day to six months.

The video in question shows a man in a green shirt with the likeness of the president. The man was holding a small plastic pack with a crystalline substance made to look like illegal narcotics. 

It was displayed at a gathering of a group called “MAISUG” in Los Angeles, United States.

The Department of National Defense branded the video as “fake” saying that the act is a “maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration.”

In an interview on the sidelines hours before Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin also described the video as “malicious.”

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. said that he ordered the creation of a task force to identify the individuals behind the fake video.