MANILA -- It is up to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file charges against the hooded man claiming to be "Bikoy" in the video series accusing President Rodrigo Duterte’s family and allies as part of the illegal drug trade, Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after a so-called Peter Joemel Advincula or Bikoy appeared Monday at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) office after claiming there were threats to his life.
“Let’s hear him out what he’s going to say. As far as he’s concerned. The video is a black propaganda against the government,” said Panelo in an interview over CNN.
“We will leave it to the government agencies. It is the NBI investigating it then it will do its job. They will have to prosecute that person,” he added.
Advincula surfaced a few days after the NBI arrested Rodel Jayme, a freelance website developer in connection with Bikoy videos.
Advincula claimed he did not know Jayme and denied that he was linked to opposition senatorial slate, Otso Diretso, or any media organizations or lawyers' groups named in the Oust Duterte matrix.
The five-part video series called “Ang Totoong Narcolist” links presidential son and former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go, and presidential son-in-law Manases Carpio to an illegal drug syndicate.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac, said the agency will continue its investigation and validate Advincula’s identity.
“We do not take his claim at surface level. We will ascertain his identity based on evidence, and if he is willing, he may come over either to the NBI or the PNP,” Banac said.
Banac said if Advincula is indeed the “authentic Bikoy”, he would be spared from trouble of having to hide behind the cloak of anonymity.
He also noted that Advincula will also have the opportunity to substantiate his serious accusations and convince the Filipino people that he is worth listening to.
If he is not who he claims to be, Banac said Advincula would just be wasting the PNP’s time.
Banac also said Advincula still has to explain the real motive behind his decision to surface.
Earlier, the DOJ ordered criminal charges against Jayme for inciting to sedition. Prosecutors also recommended PHP36,000 in bail to the Paranaque court for his temporary liberty.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, however, said it is still too early to consider whether Jayme would be utilized as a state witness in going after other personalities behind the video. (With reports from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
