'Bikoy' tags Trillanes in making of 'Ang Totoong Narcolist' videos

MANILA, Philippines (Update 2, 11:11 a.m.) — Peter Joemel Advincula, who claimed to be "Bikoy" and whose credibility has since been questioned, claimed that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is behind the production of the "Ang Totoong Narcolist" videos.

In a televised press conference at the Philippine National Police, Advincula said he surrendered to the authorities due to urge of his conscience. He said the contents of the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” are all lies to bring down President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Department of Justice has recently issued a subpoena against Advincula for the estafa complaint—over a botched beauty pageant in August 2018.

READ: 'Bikoy' surfaces, claims threats to life

LP, Otso Diretso, Trillanes behind Bikoy videos

Advincula said the video series were made to discredit the administration of Duterte and tagged the Liberal Party and outgoing Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who is from Nacionalista Party, for the production.

He said the allegations of the "Ang Totoong Narcolist" videos, which tagged the Dutertes and senator-elect Bong Go to the narcotics trade, were all false.

He claimed that he met Sen. Risa Hontivers and Trillanes several times. He also linked members of the Otso Diretso senatorial slate for the videos, except former Interior and Local Government chief Mar Roxas.

Advincula said that he even saw Vice President Leni Robredo in one of the meetings held at Ateneo de Manila University, but the vice president only passed by and did not join the meeting.

"If the public will still believe me after this, all that happened in the 'Ang Totoong Narcolist,' all that I recorded, all those were scripted, lies because the opposition camp wanted to divert the issue, the attention of the public from the high [approval] ratings of the administration," he said in Filipino.

He claimed that the series, which took months to produce, were made to boost the Otso Diretso slate, none of whom landed a spot in Magic 12.

Advincula alleged that the plan would include Vice President Leni Robredo to “appoint a certain congressman or senator to be the vice president” and that person would be Trillanes. This is not allowed in the current Constitution where the vice president is elected to office.

Advincula’s credibility

This is not the first time that Advincula was caught in hot water for his allegations. 

Several government officials, including presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, raised doubts on Advincula's credibility. 

Senate President Vicente Sotto earlier said Advincula—while detained at the New Bilibid Prison—was the same person who reached out to his office in 2016, accusing that Aquino, former Interior secretary Mar Roxas and former Justice secretary Leila de Lima were linked to an alleged drug syndicate called “Quadrangle.” 

Advincula had claimed Aquino, Roxas and De Lima were among the “patrons” of the drug ring. 

Advincula admitted he was jailed for six years in 2012 for estafa. After he was released in 2016—his sentence was reduced—he said he had decided to lead an honorable life.

The STAR reported that Advincula was jailed at the National Bureau of Investigation in 2016 for large-scale illegal recruitment but was released the following year for “good conduct.”

“It appears that he has been incarcerated in 2012 for conviction of illegal recruitement and large scale estafa, as well as for theft,” Panelo pointed out.

He added: “These crimes involve moral turpitude that goes to the very integrity and credibility of Advincula or Bikoy.”