CEBU CITY-Initial findings of the Philippine National Police (PNP) investigation into digital devices surrendered by Thomas Markle Jr. showed media files depicting minors engaged in sexual activities, with preliminary examinations indicating the materials did not originate in the Philippines, a senior police official said.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, Police Major Gen. Wilson Asueta, acting director for investigation and detective management, said the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) through its Regional Anti Cybercrime Unit in Central Visayas (RACU-7) had identified the files during its initial forensic examination, but further analysis is needed to establish their contents, origins and possible links to individuals under investigation.
‘Initially, those materials, the video, the recording that were examined initially, we can say that based on [the initial report], they were just not from here,’ Asueta said, referring to the Philippines.
He added that the initial examination indicated the materials involved foreign minors, including Asian and Caucasian individuals, with no Filipino victims identified so far.
The findings is part of a coordinated investigation into several boxes of digital devices, physical media and printing materials that Markle Jr. turned over to authorities last month. The materials were allegedly connected to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Asueta said the PNP had secured a court-issued warrant to examine computer data, allowing investigators to proceed with the forensic examination of the seized or surrendered digital devices.
These include nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives and one camera, along with another non-digital device.
A joint investigation team composed of the PNP Women’s and Children’s Protection Center, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Anti-Cybercrime Group, Intelligence Group and Police Regional Office 7 was organized to pursue the case.
Investigators are examining the digital evidence while field personnel work to validate information gathered during the inquiry.
Asueta said the investigation remains ongoing and that authorities have yet to complete their assessment of the files.
The PNP has not established whether Thomas Markle Sr., whose son reportedly attributed the materials to him, appears in any of the recordings.
Asueta said the digital forensic examiner had yet to submit a complete report.
Authorities are also still verifying ownership of the devices and have not independently established whether the equipment belonged to Markle Sr.
Asked whether Markle Jr. voluntarily surrendered the materials, Asueta said the initial information indicated that the younger Markle turned them over to the regional office of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in Central Visayas.
Police have yet to determine what prompted the turnover, which remains part of the investigation.
Asueta also said no complaint had been filed against Markle Sr. at the time of the briefing.
The official declined to provide details about any possible involvement of other individuals, saying investigators were still conducting further verification and analysis.
The case is being pursued in coordination with United States authorities.
billboards do the job socmed
Asueta said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other US agencies were conducting their own investigation and collaborating with the PNP on investigative matters.
PRO 7 has also created a task force to investigate the case.
Asueta said the PNP would pursue charges under the laws covering online sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child sexual abuse or exploitation materials if the evidence warrants prosecution.
‘We are doing our best so that we can find evidence. If there is evidence, then we will file a case,’ he said.
He assured the public that the investigation would be conducted thoroughly, impartially and objectively.
Asueta did not confirm reports about a storage unit in Mexico allegedly containing a tape titled ‘Manila Nites,’ saying the matter had not been relayed to him by the investigators.
The PNP said its findings remain preliminary as forensic examination and field investigation continue.
Authorities have yet to issue a final determination on the ownership of the materials, the identities of the individuals involved and whether the evidence will support the filing of criminal charges.
PNP officials led by Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and Interior Secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla was in Cebu on Tuesday and held a closed-door command conference on this investigation.