Resort owner sues Advincula, seeks P1.1B in damages

LEGAZPI CITY—The businessman implicated by Peter Joemel Advincula in the illegal drug trade in his “Bikoy” videos is seeking P1.1 billion in damages from the ex-convict, Facebook and YouTube.

Elizaldy Co, owner of Misibis Bay Resort, which Advincula alleged was the headquarters of a drug ring, said he filed cyberlibel charges against the former marketing executive and the two social media giants.

Advincula, who admitted to being jailed for fraud and claimed to be the man named Bikoy in the videos that linked members of President Duterte’s family to the illegal drug trade, retracted his allegations on Thursday, saying his claims were fabrications orchestrated by the political opposition.

The videos circulated on Facebook and YouTube in April.

Request ignored

Co said his lawyers requested Facebook and YouTube on April 26 to take down the video implicating him in the drug trade but the two companies ignored the request.

“Like Bikoy, Facebook and YouTube must be held accountable. Our legal system shouldn’t allow them to be part of a systematic campaign to destroy people and simply get away with it,” Co said.

Co and Misibis Bay Resort filed separate complaints for cyberlibel against Advincula, Facebook Philippines and Google Philippines (Google is the owner of YouTube) in the Legazpi City prosecutor’s office on May 14.

The first complaint seeks from Advincula, Facebook Philippines and other unidentified individuals P150 million in moral damages,  P100 million in exemplary damages, and 10 percent in attorney’s fees for each of the two complainants, for a total of P550 million.

The second complaint seeks from Advincula, Google Philippines and other unidentified individuals P500 million in damages and P50 million in attorney’s fees. —MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN