Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed Communist Party of the Philippines founder Joma Sison could be charged with libel for spreading false rumors that President Rodrigo Duterte went into a coma.

In a briefing, Roque, an abogado, denied a Facebook post by Sison who claimed that Duterte Duterte has gone into coma since Sunday, August 19, a day after attending the national convention of his San Beda Law fraternity Lex Talionis Fraternita.

“When you attribute a disease to a person, yes. ‘Di ba, isn’t that libel?” said Roque.

Sison claimed that “the darkness of his face had become aggravated from its appearance the other day and that his walk and handshake had become more unstable.”

But Roque said former Justice Secretary Vit Aguirre, who was at the Lex Talionis event, claimed the President was in high spirits during the affair.

“I talked to former Secretary Vit Aguirre who was in the affair. He was fine. He’s stayed ‘til 12. He was in very high spirits. He enjoyed the company of his brods in Lex Talionis,” Roque said.

“There is no information that the President is sick. I saw him last Friday, he was fine. And it’s only Monday today, it was just a weekend that I did not see him. I don’t even understand why Joma Sison said he was in coma ‘no. He is in faraway Netherlands, how would he know?” he added.

“He is fine and you will see him again tomorrow (Tuesday) in the League of Cities convention in Cebu City,” said Roque.