In a 180-degree turn, Peter Joemel Advincula who claims to be “Bikoy,” the hooded man in the “Ang Totoong Narco List” videos, now implicated the Liberal Party (LP) and Sen. Antonio Trillanes in the video series that linked members of the president’s family and his allies to the illegal drug trade.
From categorically stating he was “not connected” to any political party or affiliation, Advincula changed his story after being taken under police custody 17 days since his press briefing at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
STATEMENT
In a press briefing at the Philippine National Police, May 23, a day after he supposedly surrendered to authorities, Advincula said of the claims made in the video series:
“Hindi totoo ‘yun. Walang katotohanan lahat-lahat ‘yun (They’re not true. There’s no truth to all of those). At ‘yoon pawang orchestrated lamang ng mga nasa kabilang party (And [those claims] were only orchestrated by those in the opposition party), which is the Liberal Party under the handling of Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV.”
Source: PNP official Facebook page, NOW: Media briefing on the surrender of Peter Joemel Advincula, the confessed “Bikoy” character behind the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series, May 23, 2019, watch from 7:28 to 7:47
FLIP-FLOP
This is the exact opposite of what Advincula said during a May 6 press briefing at the IBP, the first time he claimed he was Bikoy in the video series:
“Gusto kong linawin na wala akong kaugnayan sa kahit kaninong kandidato. Lalo na sa mga kandidato ng Otso Diretso, o anumang political party o political affiliation.
(I just want to clarify that I have no connection to any of the candidates. Especially to those of Otso Diretso, or any political party or affiliation.)”Source: ABS-CBN, Man behind viral anti-Duterte video surfaces, May 6, 2019, watch from 1:05 to 1:20
But in a May 23 statement, he insisted that he did not know Rodel Jayme, who was charged with inciting to sedition for allegedly uploading and sharing the controversial videos. Advincula also said he was not connected to and had “never even met” the media personalities in Malacañang’s matrix on the supposed destabilization plot against the government.
This is consistent with his statement where he said he had “no connection” to media personalities and institutions named in the matrix presented by Malacañang. The matrix, using the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos, lumped together some journalists, lawyers, and opposition figures in an alleged destabilization plot against the government.
Sources
Philippine National Police official Facebook page, NOW: Media briefing on the surrender of Peter Joemel Advincula, the confessed “Bikoy” character behind the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series, May 23, 2019
ABS-CBN, Man behind viral anti-Duterte video surfaces, May 6, 2019
GMA News, REPLAY: PNP press conference on arrest of Peter Joemel Advincula alyas Bikoy, May 23, 2019
CNN Philippines, DOJ to file inciting to sedition charge vs. Rodel Jayme, May 6, 2019
ABS-CBN News, DOJ indicts website creator Rodel Jayme for inciting to sedition | ANC, May 6, 2019
Rappler.com, TIMELINE: The ‘Bikoy’ controversy, May 8, 2019
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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