Palace questions credibility of ‘Bikoy’

This, 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. (File Photo: Screenshot from “Ang Totoong Narcolist”)

MANILA — Malacañang has questioned the credibility of a man claiming to be “Bikoy” in a series of videos called “Ang Totoong Narcolist” which have tagged the family and allies of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the illegal drug trade.

This, 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.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo cast doubt on Advincula’s credibility, noting that he is currently facing multiple criminal cases.

“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,” said Panelo in a statement on Tuesday.

“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 added.

Panelo described Advincula’s allegations as “incredible” and “absurd” since these have already been disproved, including his claim that former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go had a tattoo on his back,  which linked him to the illegal drug trade.

Go had previously showed his back has no tattoo to the media and public to show the falsity of Advincula’s claim, Panelo said.

The Presidential Spokesperson also emphasized 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.

“There is a dictum in law which says: You lie in one, you lie in all. This legal principle applies to Advincula or Bikoy,” Panelo said.

Black propaganda

Panelo warned that certain IBP officers may have “unwittingly” allowed their facilities to be used by Advincula to perpetuate lies.

He said that there are “strong indications” that Advincula is being used by a personality, in conspiracy with others bent on destroying the reputation of the President.

The Presidential Spokesperson further described Advincula’s surfacing as a continuation of the “black propaganda”.

“Bikoy’s pretended fear for his life is part of the fraudulent act. Soon the pretenders and black propagandists will be unmasked,” Panelo said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is getting information that will further bolster Advincula’s fraud, he added.

Panelo, meanwhile, assured that personalities who seek to maliciously malign the government will not be exempted from prosecution.

“They shall not, however, be exempted from criminal prosecution for crimes they may have committed,” Panelo 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.

Jayme denied he was linked to opposition senatorial slate, Otso Diretso, or any media organization or lawyers’ groups named in the Oust Duterte matrix.