Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque drew attention after some Filipinos noticed a “slip of the tongue” during an interview where he discussed corruption.
The Duterte ally appeared on One PH’s “Sa Totoo Lang” on October 24, where he was interviewed about the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) rejection of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s jurisdiction challenge..
The ICC recently rejected the defense’s argument that it could not exercise jurisdiction over the case, noting that the investigation into the drug war was authorized in September 2021, two years after the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
The judges ruled that no provision in the Statute imposes any time limit on the ICC’s authority to exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed while a state was still a party to it.
As such, the crimes against humanity case against Duterte will proceed. However, if he is found unfit to stand trial, he will be institutionalized, though the case itself will not be dismissed.
The former president was arrested and taken to The Hague in March on an arrest warrant linking him to murders committed during his anti-narcotics campaign, which left thousands of alleged drug users and peddlers dead.
Roque, Duterte’s former spokesperson, was invited to discuss the ICC’s ruling on the Duterte camp’s jurisdiction challenge.
During the interview, he was asked about his plans for November 30, specifically, whether his appeal would be directed against the Marcos administration or would focus on anti-corruption efforts.
“Sabay sabay na po ‘yan, no, dahil alam naman natin na ang korapsyon ay nangyari sa administrasyon ni Tat—ni Marcos Jr., at alam din natin na si Marcos Jr. ang nangidnap at nagpadala dito kay Tatay Digong,” Roque said.
The particular moment was also uploaded by One PH.
Some presumed that Roque was about to say “Tatay Digong” based on his words.
The former presidential spokesperson often refers to his former boss by that nickname.
An entertainment website also turned the moment into content, captioning it with an explanation of the phrase “Freudian slip.”
“Freudian slip (noun): ‘An unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings,’” Cinema Bravo said.
The post has so far earned 44,000 laugh reactions and 4,400 shares.
The moment also went viral on X (formerly Twitter), where lawyer Jesus Falcis reposted the post and commented, “For a split second, lumabas ‘yung totoong kaluluwa ni Harry Roque.”
“‘Sa administrasyon ni Dating ______ Fill in blanks,” another X user wrote with a laughing emoji.
“Freudian slip?” a different user commented.
“Ops nadulas oh, sana diniretso mo na,” another Pinoy wrote.
This was not the first perceived “slip of the tongue” involving Roque.
In 2020, the former presidential spokesperson also drew attention when he stated that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) served as a “cash resource” for then-president Duterte during a virtual press briefing.
“So, ang POGO po, kabahagi po iyan siguro ng isang industriya na nagbibigay ng cash resource sa president—sa ating pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng buwis, at ang tatanungin po natin is, ano iyong risk na pino-pose ng operation ng POGO?” Roque previously said.
RELATED: ‘Slip of the tongue?’ Roque corrects self after saying POGOs give ‘cash resource’ to Duterte
A Freudian slip is a verbal mistake that occurs while speaking or writing. It happens when someone unintentionally says something different from what they originally intended.
The American Psychological Association defines it as “an unconscious error or oversight in writing, speech, or action that is held to be caused by unacceptable impulses breaking through the ego’s defenses and exposing the individual’s true wishes or feelings.”
