Mar says uploaded video malicious, spliced

MANILA, Philippines - Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas on Wednesday said that the video uploaded on Youtube, showing his meeting with Tacloban City Alfred Romualdez was spliced and branded it as "malicious."

"Ang punto nito, malisyoso yung video na ito...kitang-kitang nahubaran yung masamang balakin ng gumagawa nito," Roxas said at a press conference at the Philipine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

Roxas was referring to the 18-seconder video uploaded on YouTube last NOvember 9, the same day that Romualdez appeared before a congressional oversight hearing at the Senate.

Read: WATCH: Mar telling Tacloban mayor 'You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino'

The uploader of the video was "Josemari Gonzalez," the name of the father of Romualdez's wife, Cristina "Kring Kring" Gonzales.

Roxas said that the video was uploaded on the social media sharing site to divert Romualdez's neglect of his city when super typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas.

"Paano naman natin palalagpasin ang pag-upload sa YouTube ng isang dinoktor ng video? Hindi naman puwede yun," he said.

"Ang layunin ng malisosyong video na ito ay pagtakpan ang sariling kapabayaan ni Mayor Romualdez...may protocols yan eh.Ginagawa ang sulat ng LGU (local government unit) pag sinabi nila na hindi nila kaya," he added.

A second and longer video has also been uploaded to the video sharing site. The video is 43 minutes in length.

Read: Longer video of Mar, Tacloban mayor meeting surfaces

Roxas said the national government asked for the same letter from the Zamboanga City government during a standoff with members of the Moro National Liberation Front-Nur Misuari faction last September.

Roxas also reiterated that politics did not cause of delay of providing assistance to those affected by Yolanda in the city, with the President Benigno Aquino III's family being a long political rival of the Romualdezes.

"Ayaw ng Pangulo na magkaroon ng anumang bahid," he said, reiterating that the President was just being careful in taking over and did not want anything to be misconstrued.

At a Senate committee hearing on Monday, Romualdez claimed that the help for his constituents was delayed because of politics.