‘Bikoy’ summoned for estafa case

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has summoned Peter Joemel Advincula, the self-confessed “Bikoy” in the viral video that linked President Duterte’s relatives and allies to the illegal drug trade, over a new estafa complaint recently filed against him by an Albay businessman.

In a subpoena sent earlier this week to the last known address of Advincula in Sorsogon, Assistant State Prosecutor Herbert Calvin Abugan ordered the suspect to appear before the DOJ and answer the complaint filed by Arven Valmores of Ardeur World Marketing over a beauty pageant organized by the respondent last year. 

The investigating prosecutor set the hearings on May 28 and June 4 at 11 a.m.

In his videos dubbed “Ang Totoong Narcolist,” the narrator known as Bikoy accused the President’s son Paolo and his brother-in-law Manases Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, former special assistant to the president Christopher Go as well as Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña and their 15-year-old daughter Kitty of benefitting from the illegal drug trade.

The narrator alleged that Honeylet was receiving money from drug syndicates through bank accounts in the name of Kitty.

In the videos, Bikoy claimed that Go and some members of the President’s family were involved in the operations of an illegal drug syndicate called the “Davao Group.”

In the fifth episode of the video series uploaded in late April, Bikoy said a drug syndicate working out of Bicol was called the “Quadrangle Group” and included former politicians and businessmen.

In the new complaint filed last May 10 against Advincula, Valmores said that the suspect did not attend the pageant held on Aug. 11, 2018 after using the corporate name and logo of Valmores’ business – without his consent – for promotion.

He said the respondent “became unreachable thereby leaving all the members of the production staff unpaid.”

The complainant said he had to shell out P304,422 to cover the expenses of the pageant as the production staff and pageant winners sought redress. 

Advincula surfaced last May 6 to claim that he was the Bikoy in the videos.

He held a press conference inside the office of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and sought legal assistance from the group, which later rejected the request due to the political nature of the case.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has found that Advincula is a wanted person for cases of estafa and illegal recruitment.

In September 2007, Baguio regional trial court (RTC) Judge Ruben Ayson issued an arrest warrant for Advincula for illegal recruitment.  

In the same month, La Trinidad, Benguet RTC Judge Delilah Gonzales-Muñoz also issued a warrant of arrest against him for estafa cases.

Advincula has admitted that he had previously served prison term for cases of illegal recruitment and large scale estafa.

The PNP has launched a manhunt operation against Advincula.  

Meanwhile, Rodel Jayme who was the creator of the website metrobalita.net that first uploaded the Bikoy
videos, pleaded not guilty to the charges of inciting to sedition in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 before the Parañaque City RTC Branch 258.

The DOJ indicted Jayme with the charge, filed by attached agency National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after his arrest.

A lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office accompanied Jayme during his arraignment yesterday.

Parañaque RTC judge Noemi Balitaan also ordered his transfer to the Parañaque City Jail from the NBI detention cell in Manila. – With Ghio Ong