Press Release
May 30, 2019

I or my staff have nothing to do with Bikoy exposé - De Lima

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has refuted accusation that the united opposition is involved in producing and distributing the controversial "Ang Totoong Narcolist" five-part videos purportedly used to discredit Mr. Duterte and his allies.

De Lima said she or anyone of her staff does not know Peter Joemel Advincula or "Bikoy" who now accused the opposition of luring him to lie and link Mr. Duterte, his family members and allies to the continued proliferation of illegal drug trade in the country.

"Let me start by stating, categorically, that like me, none of my staff has anything to do with the so-called 'Bikoy' exposé. None of us knows 'Bikoy' or has ever met or talked to him, or otherwise dealt with him," she said in her recent Dispatch from Crame No. 525.

"When I first started hearing about the 'Bikoy' exposé, the foremost question in my mind was - Is 'Bikoy' for real, or is he a fraud? Worse, is he being used in some ploy that would eventually lead to the vilification of the opposition?" she added.

According to the former justice secretary, she has in fact called for an investigation into the serious accusations made by Advincula in the controversial videos to know the truth both about him and his narrative.

Advincula previously claimed that the President and his immediate family, including presidential son Paolo Duterte, and closest aide and Senator-elect Christopher "Bong" Go, have links to the illegal drug trade.

He later recanted his accusation against Duterte's family members and allies and instead implicated the Liberal Party, including De Lima's staff and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, to the alleged plan to oust the President.

De Lima said the bizarre turn of events and Advincula's inconsistent statements only support the theory that the latter is either "a professional con artist being used by sinister forces against the opposition or is a criminal psychopath with a superb ability to concoct tales."

She stressed that whoever are handling Advincula's "prodigal-son-returning-to-the-Duterte-fold story" probably believed that they have put her in a difficult situation as he confirms the fabricated drug charges against her.

"Oo nga naman, paano ko siya tatawaging sinungaling kung may mga katotohanan siyang ibinulgar tungkol sa kung paano ako 'pinroyekto' o 'inoperate' ng mga tauhan at kakuntyaba ng Duterte Administration para mabansagan akong 'drug queen? At yan ang matagal ko nang alam at paulit-ulit na sinasabi: gawa-gawa lamang, at produkto ng isang grand conspiracy of lies, ang pagdadawit nila sa akin sa illegal drug trade," she said.

"Inaasahan siguro ng mga taong gumagawa ng script ni 'Bikoy' na mahihirapan akong itanggi ang mga kasinungalingan niya - tulad ng diumano'y kinalaman ng Liberal Party at ng sarili kong tanggapan sa kanyang mga pasabog laban kay Duterte, kanyang pamilya at mga tauhan - kung hahaluan nila ng mga katotohanang paborable sa akin," she added.

Advincula also admitted that his drug allegations against former President Benigno S. Aquino III and De Lima in 2016 were also fabricated and directed by people in the Bureau of Corrections who have personal grudges against the lady senator from Bicol.

A victim of political persecution under the vengeful Duterte regime, De Lima reiterated her innocence over the trumped-up charges filed against her by the government that were all based primarily on perjured testimonies of convicted criminals and manufactured evidence.

"Kahit na pinagbali-baligtad na ni Duterte ang mundo sa paghanap ng ebidensya na ako ay sangkot sa droga, wala pa rin silang maipakitang pruweba maliban sa mga kasinungalingan ng mga so-called witnesses...Kaya wala akong alinlangan na tahasang itanggi ang akusasyon na ako o ang aking opisina ay may kinalaman sa mga exposés ni 'Bikoy,'" De Lima noted.

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