Palace says any probe into ‘Bikoy’ accusations just a waste of government time, public funds
An inquiry into the drug allegations hurled against President Duterte’s family and associates in a series of videos could just be a waste of government's time and public funds, according to a Palace official.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo asserts that the allegations made by Peter Advincula, who claimed to be "Bikoy" in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos, were all lies that do not warrant cursory attention.
"They demand that the allegations
in the videos be investigated. The government’s time and taxpayers' money cannot be wasted on an inquiry against those Bikoy maliciously named, including the President’s teenage daughter, Kitty," he said.
Panelo, who previously cast doubt on Advincula's integrity and credibility due to his criminal background, insisted that the allegations in the "Bikoy" videos have been debunked by concerned entities and personalties.
"The lies dominating in said videos have been undressed naked. Some claims are incredible if not absurd to merit even a cursory attention," he said.
The government, however, has no intention of stopping Bikoy if he intends to file a complaint against the people allegedly involved in the narcotics trade.
Panelo noted that Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has even urged Bikoy to file a complaint against the personalities he identified in the videos, "including those related to the President."
"If he files a complaint, the investigating prosecutor will have to conduct the required preliminary investigation to determine a finding of probable cause," he said.
Advincula recently surfaced in public and revealed he was Bikoy who accused the President's son and former aide of receiving payoffs from the narcotics trade in a series of videos. Also mentioned in the video were the President’s partner Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Veronica.
Panelo, however, has dismissed Bikoy's videos as "pure black propaganda to demonize the President, his family and his associates." He said the videos were aimed at discrediting the administration ahead of the elections to boost the chances of the opposition senatorial candidates.
Panelo also defended the Palace's release of the matrix on the alleged conspiracy against President as part of public information. The anti-Duterte plot, that supposedly involved the Liberal Party, Magdalo group, some media organizations, and other personalities, came from an intelligence information received by the President.
"As previously articulated, the release of the Oust Duterte Matrix is pursuant to the constitutional duty of the President to inform the public anchored on the right of the people to information as enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution," Panelo said.