Sotto calls ‘Bikoy’s’ handlers ‘fools’

MANILA,  Philippines— Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III slammed the “fools” who believed Peter Joemel Advincula when he first surfaced last May 6, and claimed to be “Bikoy.”

“Bikoy” was the hooded man in the series of videos that linked the family of President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies to the illegal drug trade.

Sotto noted that he turned down Advincula when the latter approached him in 2016 and tried to link then President Benigno Aquino III and other former government officials to the illegal drug trade.

“Ewan ko kung bakit, kung sino itong mga tangang pumatol e. Di ba dinala pa sa IBP (Integrated Bar of the Philippines)?” he said in an interview over DZMM on Friday.

The Senate leader was referring to Advincula’s first appearance at the  IBP press conference last May 6  where he claimed to be “Bikoy” in the so called “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos.

At that time, Sotto recalled urging Advincula to show proof and expose the people behind him.

And so he did.

On Thursday, Advincula pointed to the Liberal Party and other opposition members  as allegedly the behind him and the videos as they linked them into an alleged ouster plot against Duterte.  The LP and the people he accused quickly denied the allegations.

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Advincula also recanted his earlier allegations, saying all he said in the videos were not true.

But Sotto reiterated that Advincula must show proof to support his allegations.

“Ang pinakamaganda para paniwalaan sya, maglabas ka ng pruweba . Ilabas mo yung pruweba mo,” he said.

“Sino nagdala sayo sa IBP? Anong oras? Kelan?,” he asked, “Sino yung kumausap sayo, kung may kumausap man sayo sa PNP (Philippine National Police), o kung sino man dyan. Anong oras, kelan? Bigyan mo kami ng date, time and places.”

Sotto pointed out how Advincula even linked some senators, including Antonio Trillanes IV, in the narcolist videos against the Duterte family.

“Ilang beses? So bigyan mo kami ng dates time and places para mapatunayan mo yun then paniniwalalan ka. Pero kung puro kwento lang e naku sanay na sanay tayo dyan sa kwento e,” the Senate leader added.

Given his background, Sotto said it would be now difficult to believe Advincula’s stories.  (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)