Panelo tags LP in ‘conspiracy’ on Bikoy videos

MANILA, Philippines — With less than a week before election day, Malacañang yesterday bared what it described as a “deliberate conspiracy” of the opposition Liberal Party and critics to oust President Duterte.

According to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, the people behind the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video were also hoping to boost the chances of the opposition senatorial bets in the elections on Monday.

“The Office of the President, the President himself has received information, intelligence information that has been validated and appears to show that there is a deliberate attempt to discredit this administration,” Panelo said.

“The orchestrated move was also meant to boost the candidacies of the opposition’s senatorial candidates… It appears that there are certain groups who are working together to achieve this goal,” he said.

Panelo mentioned the opposition Liberal Party and the Magdalo group of Rep. Gary Alejano in the ouster plot, along with former senator Manuel Roxas II and former presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

Panelo went on to identify some media personalities allegedly conspiring to discredit the administration.

“This group appears to be the Liberal Party – some personalities identified as advocates or very active in social media dishing out anti-Duterte statements and sentiments, and validated to be allied with the Liberal Party,” Panelo said.

The so-called destabilizers are “also working together with groups indicated in the matrix presented to you the other week,” he said.

Panelo maintained the series of videos exposed by “Bikoy” was a “desperate action from the opposition purposely to discredit the senatorial candidates endorsed by the President and his administration, and damage the reputation of the government.”

Bikoy was behind the series of videos that tagged Duterte and members of his family in allegedly receiving millions of protection money from drug syndicates operating in the country.

Duterte, who has launched a bloody war against drugs, had publicly shown outrage over the accusations.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and Panelo bared the matrices of the connection of several personalities allegedly behind the narcolist video against the Chief Executive.

Alejano, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the rest of the Magdalo group were implicated in the alleged plot.

Malacañang identified former Palace spokesman Lacierda, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison, veteran journalists Ellen Tordesillas, Inday Espina Varona, Luz Rimban, Howie Severino, Sheila Coronel and Malou Mangahas; Cocoy Dayao, Rodel Jayme, Bong Banal, Arman Pontejos as key players in the oust Duterte plot.

There were also members of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) named in the matrices. 

There was a line linking Lacierda and Sison via the “Gising na Pinoy,” a group that supposedly advocates good governance.

Panelo quoted reports reaching Duterte as tagging web administrator Jayme as the one who identified a certain Precious Sahara Ledesma who made the request to create the metrobalita website. Jayme was also described as an ardent supporter of LP and Otso Diretso senatorial candidates, apart from being administrator of FreedomWall PH.

The matrix also linked Filmore Rull, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 2001, a member of Samahang Magdalo. Rull was among the security officers of Trillanes. 

Rull has provided security to Jayme after the videos became controversial.

An assessment provided by Malacañang through a slide presentation showed the political opposition will likely intensify their “disinformation efforts” in the run-up to Monday’s elections.

They have set up counter-black propaganda machines, Panelo claimed, adding the opposition will also be using influential personalities to “employ propaganda tactics through online, mainstream and alternative media outlets.”

Panelo claimed the critics and journalists in the diagram did not express legitimate dissent but are involved in “black propaganda.” 

Panelo stressed the diagram linking some opposition figures and journalists in the ouster plot was not meant to suppress freedom of expression.

Panelo presented at least five matrices, showing the links of the individuals and groups supposedly out to discredit Duterte.

The groups include the National Union of Journalists, NUPL, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Rappler and Vera Files. The staff members of these groups were also named in the matrices.

Who’s the real Bikoy?

Panelo also questioned the timing of Peter Joemel Advincula, who surfaced and claimed he was Bikoy. Panelo said it was a diversionary tactic of the opposition to mislead the public.

“(To) shift public attention from the forthcoming revelations of Rodel Jayme on the orchestrators of Ang Totoong Narcolist, and prevent them from being linked at all costs,” he said.

In a slide presentation which provided analysis and assessment of the latest developments, Panelo noted Advincula’s move to seek help from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines can be considered as “malicious.” – With Alexis Romero, Edu Punay