Video linking Polong Duterte to drugs ‘black propaganda’

“Bikoy”

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed as “black propaganda” a video circulating on social media where a man in a hoodie claimed that the President’s son, Paolo “Polong” Duterte, received payoffs from a drug syndicate.

The six-minute video, titled “Ang Totoong Narcolist (The True Narcolist) Episode 1,” was posted around noon on Tuesday on the Facebook account of “Metro Balita,” which describes itself as a “media/news company.”

“Obviously a black propaganda intended to besmirch and destroy President Duterte and his family,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

President’s incorruptibility

“But just like the other false narratives against the President, it will not succeed, as the overwhelming majority of the Filipino people trust his sincerity and fidelity to his duty as President in serving and protecting the citizenry as well as believe in his incorruptibility,” Panelo said.

The video’s male narrator showed a list of names of alleged drug lords and the amounts deposited in their bank accounts.

He alleged that the code name Polo Delta was actually Paolo Duterte and that the bank accounts were owned by Agriculture Undersecretary Waldo Carpio, a brother of lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

In a Facebook post, Paolo Duterte said that a certain “J.S.”  was behind the video. He said J.S. was angry with Waldo Carpio for blocking his smuggled rice and sugar.

“You are angry with me because I ignored you in the airplane because you’re arrogant,” said the former Davao City vice mayor.

In the video, the man in a hoodie—who identified himself only as “Bikoy”—said he had been in possession of the documents from the time he started working with the syndicate in 2010. He said he left the group last year.

The narrator said Paolo used two code names, “Polo Delta-TSG01” and “Alpha Tierra-0029,” in the syndicate’s financial transactions.

Financial records

Bikoy claimed he handled the financial records of the drug syndicate that operated in Southern Luzon and the Visayas.

The man said he decided to disclose what he knew about the younger Duterte’s involvement in drugs after the President released his list of narcopoliticians.

“I left the syndicate and tried to lead a new life. But the syndicate did not leave me alone and I’m now getting death threats,” Bikoy said.

Panelo said the President’s enemies and detractors “will always try to discredit him but they are doomed to fail.”

“In the almost three years of his presidency they painted him criminal and evil, but survey after survey the Filipino people gave him an excellent rating on trust and on his unorthodox way of governance,” he said.