Screen shot of a video circulated online.
MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Wednesday named a certain ”Bong Banal” as the narrator in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos linking President Rodrigo Duterte’s immediate family in the illegal drugs trade.
“It appears now in that video that it was Bong Banal who was the narrator. And Bong Banal is supposed to be kind of expert in – anything about IT, and a known advocate of the Liberal Party,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
Panelo said Banal has “active collaboration” with former Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison, blogger Edward Angelo “Cocoy” Dayao, and Rodey Jayme, the creator and owner of metrobalita.net, which published the “Ang Tototoong Narcolist” videos, linking President Rodrigo Dutere’s immediate family to an illegal drug syndicate.
During the Palace briefing, Panelo showed a presentation with the photo of Banal.
“[N]ext slides shows the face of Bong Banal, the narrator of the video and he is an administrator, member of significant anti-Duterte and LP-leaning Facebook groups, pages actively circulating propaganda with the different social media platforms alongside this Jayme Rodel: Artist and also he is a photojournalist identified providing visual representations and images for different black propagandas, used by Rappler,” he said.
The Palace official also said Banal “actively initiated protest regarding the ousting of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.” /jpv