MANILA, Philippines — Detained senator Leila De Lima on Tuesday slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) for failing to investigate the allegations made by “Bikoy,” the uploader of the videos accusing several relatives and allies of President Rodrigo Duterte of involvement in the drug trade.
PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde said Monday they will track down “Bikoy,” warning him that he will face cyber libel raps if his claims were proven false.
READ: PNP to track down uploader of ‘Bikoy’ narcolist videos
De Lima, however, said that the PNP had “turned the tables” on ‘Bikoy’ instead of investigating the allegations.
“The suppression of the truth about the possible involvement of the Duterte family and associates in the illegal drug trade as revealed by “Bikoy” is now underway,” De Lima said in a statement.
The senator added that it would have been different if the accused in the videos were critics of the administration and not Duterte’s allies and relatives.
“Under the current political climate, it is fairly easy for those in power to escape the law. We just did not expect it from the present PNP Chief whose reputation for being a professional was well-known. Perhaps, if it were a critic or critics who were implicated in the “Bikoy” exposé, we can expect a totally different response from the authorities,” De Lima said.
Calling the Duterte family and allies “untouchables and above the law,” De Lima said the PNP did not provide the same treatment for those who were killed in the administration’s war on drugs.
“Of course, we do not expect Albayalde to treat Paolo Duterte, Mans Carpio, Honeylet Avanceña, and Bong Go the same way as the PNP has treated the thousands of victims of EJK who were executed on mere suspicion of involvement in the illegal drug trade, the same accusations now being raised against the presidential family,” De Lima said.
“They are untouchables and above the law that is only intended for mere mortals like us,” she added.
De Lima called on the public to listen to Bikoy “with an open mind”.
Earlier, “Bikoy” uploaded several videos titled “Ang Totoong Narcolist” (The True Narcolist).
The series, which now has four episodes, claimed that presidential son and former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and senatorial candidate Christopher “Bong” Go have a dragon tattoo on their backs, indicating their membership to a drug syndicate. /ee