MANILA, Philippines — Several candidates from the Otso Diretso slate have insisted that they neither know Peter Joemel Advincula nor have plotted to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte.
The candidates have released separate statements on Thursday after Advincula — who claims to be the person behind the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos — recanted his accusations and implicated the Liberal Party (LP) as the mastermind.
LP official and former Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said the party is an easy target even if it has denied knowledge of the videos in the past.
“It is easy to say that it is the LP. The LP has denied that it knows Advincula. Advincula should provide the evidence to prove his allegation,” Tañada said.
“I personally don’t know Advincula. He claims to have attended a meeting with 8D candidates in Ateneo. This is an obvious lie,” he added.
Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, on the other hand, took offense to Advincula’s remarks dragging the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) into the discussions, saying that the group volunteered to assist him legally.
“Ang FLAG ay hindi abogado ni ‘Bikoy.’ Inilapit sa FLAG ang kaso, pero tumanggi ang FLAG, kaya ang naging sagot namin ay sa IBP na lang siya lumapit,” Diokno noted.
(The FLAG is not the lawyer of ‘Bikoy.” His case was brought to FLAG, but FLAG refused to take the case. So we advised him to go to the IBP.)
“Karaniwan namang ginagawa ito ng mga abogado pag tumanggi silang tanggapin ang isang kaso (This is what lawyers do if they refuse to take on a case),” he explained.
Earlier, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano and Marawi civic leader Samira Gutoc also said that they had not met Advincula or ‘Bikoy.’ Vice President Leni Robredo echoed the candidates’ claims, calling Advincula a liar.
READ: Alejano refutes Bikoy: Otso Diretso never met you
READ: Gutoc belies ‘Bikoy’ claims: Truth will always prevail
READ: Robredo denies meeting or knowing ‘Bikoy’
Advincula, who surrendered to the Philippine National Police, said in a briefing inside Camp Crame that senators from the Liberal Party and their staff met with him to discuss ways to bring down the survey rankings of administration candidates.
He attested that candidates from Otso Diretso, except Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, was part of these meetings. He also revealed that there is a plot to oust Duterte, dubbed Project Sodoma. (Editor: Eden Estopace)
READ: ‘Bikoy’: Entire ‘Ang Totoong Narcolist’ was not true, LP was mastermind
READ: Project Sodoma: ‘Bikoy’ says opposition wanted Duterte ousted