MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has started its hunt for Peter Joemel Advincula who earlier claimed to be “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” (The True Narcolist) video series.

“The manhunt operation is underway to find him and to serve the pending warrants of arrest against Advincula and his cohorts for estafa… and for large scale illegal recruitment,” PNP chief Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde said in a statement.

Albayalde said the police have started the manhunt operation for Advincula based on his standing arrest warrants for estafa issued by the Municipal Trial Court of La Trinidad, Benguet on September 26, 2007, and for large-scale illegal recruitment issued by a Baguio City court on August 10, 2007.

“In March 2007, the accused committed illegal recruitment and asked for training fee amounting to P300 pesos in exchange of employment at Colegio Del La Pontifical Academia in Baguio City,” the PNP chief said.

Albayalde said it appears that Advincula has been using the names R.B. Santos, John Paul Rafael Benedict Santos, Arcangel de Leon or Archie Santos, Lory Camba, and Jaime Gaupo, Jr. to hide his true identity.

Meanwhile, PNP spokesperson Police Col. Bernard Banac said the CIDG has already secured copies of both warrants.

“We urge the public to report to authorities any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect,” he said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.

“Bikoy” first drew public attention after he linked close allies and relatives of President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drug trade through a series of video uploaded online.

Aside from his standing warrants of arrest, the PNP earlier said Advincula, a former seminarian, was also jailed for a separate large-scale illegal recruitment case in 2012 and was released in 2016.

READ: PNP: ‘Bikoy’ a former seminarian, ex-convict for illegal recruitment case

The Senate was supposed to conduct a hearing on Friday to investigate Advincula’s allegations but Senator Panfilo Lacson scrapped it after learning from Senate President Vicente Sotto III that Advincula had also previously linked officials of the administration of then-president Benigno Aquino III to illegal drugs. (Editor: Mike U. Frialde, senior deskperson)

READ: Man claiming to be ‘Bikoy’ linked Aquino to drugs – Sotto

READ: Lacson scraps Senate probe on ‘Bikoy:’ Enough of this nonsense