Palace on ‘Bikoy’ credibility: ‘You lie in one, you lie in all’
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Tue, 07 May 2019 04:20:01 +0000
MALACAÑANG has remained unperturbed as it questioned the credibility of a man claiming to be “Bikoy” who linked President Rodrigo Duterte’s family to the illegal drug trade through a series of viral videos.
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after Peter Joemel Advincula, who claimed to be Bikoy, appeared at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) office in Pasig City on Monday to seek legal assistance after claiming there were threats to his life.
In a statement, Panelo said Advincula no longer had credibility, noting that he was currently facing multiple criminal cases.
“The saga of the black propaganda that is ‘Ang Totoong Narcolist’ against the President and the First Family continues. Information about the criminal background of Advincula is starting to come out. It appears that he has been incarcerated in 2012 for conviction of illegal recruitment and large scale estafa, as well as for theft,” Panelo said.
“Presently, there are news that he is facing multiple criminal cases like estafa, among others. These crimes involve moral turpitude that goes to the very integrity and credibility of Advincula or Bikoy,” he said.
The Palace official described Advincula’s allegations as “incredible” and “absurd” since these have been disproved, including his claim that former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go had a tattoo on his back, which linked him to the illegal drug trade.
Go on Monday showed anew his untattooed back to the media and public to show the falsity of Advincula’s claim.
“Significantly, the tattoo that Bikoy claimed was on the back of former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go was also proven false when the latter removed his shirt and bore his back for the public to see the falsity of the claim,” Panelo said.
He also said that some entities mentioned by Advincula in his videos as involved in the narcotics trade such as the Rural Bank of Guinobatan, Inc. and the Misibis Bay Resort have also denied his allegations.
“Categorical denials vis-à-vis the claims of Bikoy by some of the entities mentioned in his videos, such as those made by the Rural Bank of Guinobatan, Inc. and the Misibis Bay Resort, were made. Strangely enough, such denials did not catch much attention from the media,” Panelo said.
“There is a dictum in law which says: You lie in one, you lie in all. This legal principle applies to Advincula or Bikoy,” the Palace official added.
Panelo, also the chief legal counsel of the President, warned that some officers of the IBP may have been fooled by Advincula.
“Certain officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines may have unwittingly allowed their facilities to be used by a fraudster to perpetuate lies and foist accusations against PRRD (Duterte), his children and those closely identified with him of the commission of illegal trade of prohibited drugs,” he said.
Panelo said the government was in the process of “unearthing” information to further debunk Bikoy’s claims.
“The PNP (Philippine National Police) is still unearthing information that will further bolster the fraud perpetrated by this unscrupulous person,” Panelo said.
“There are strong indications that Advincula is not alone but is just being used by a personality in conspiracy with others bent on destroying the reputation of the Duterte family and tarnishing the image of the President,” he added.
The Palace official, meanwhile, assured the public of the Duterte administration’s commitment to the Filipino people to protect and preserve their safety and general welfare, as well as “their right to seek redress from the government.”
“This includes the protection of those who may seek to maliciously malign the government and its officials who are under threat, imagined or real. They shall not however be exempted from criminal prosecution for crimes they may have committed,” he added.
Advincula, a former employee of VitaPlus, a franchise of First Quadrant multi-level marketing company, categorically identified the President’s son Paolo Duterte, Manases Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio; and Go as alleged leaders of the Davao group that works with the Quadrangle syndicate connected with the illegal drug trade in Bicol.
“I decided to come out first, because there is a threat to my life, and second, because my conscience cannot take the destruction of the family brought about by illegal drugs where I had been a part when I was still a member of the syndicate,” he said.
Advincula surfaced a few days after the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Rodel Jayme, a freelance website developer in connection with the “Bikoy” videos.
In the videos, “Bikoy” accused Go, Paolo, Carpio and the President’s youngest daughter Veronica or Kitty of receiving millions of pesos from the illegal drug trade.
In the fifth episode of the video series uploaded in late April, Bikoy said a drug syndicate working out of Bicol was called the Quadrangle that included former politicians and businessmen.
Jayme denied he was linked to opposition senatorial slate, Otso Diretso, or any media organization or lawyers’ groups named in the Oust Duterte matrix.
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