Manila court orders arrest of ‘Bikoy’

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) has ordered the arrest of Peter Joemel “Bikoy” Advincula for perjury for tagging three lawyers in a plot to oust the government.

Manila MTC Branch 17 Judge Immaculada Ylagan-Galang issued the arrest warrant dated Jan. 18 against Advincula after finding probable cause for perjury.

Advincula faces a perjury case for falsely accusing attorneys Jose Manuel Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada III and former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te of being part of the so-called Project Sodoma, the information against him read.

The bail is set at P18,000.

Advincula claimed to be behind the hooded figure in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video.

In the Department of Justice (DOJ) resolution dated Feb. 17, 2020, state prosecutors indicted Advincula for perjury for falsely claiming in his sworn affidavit the lawyers were part of a “shadow group” of the ouster plot.

The investigation showed Diokno and Tañada attended a March 4, 2019 senatorial candidates’ forum at Leong Hall at the Ateneo de Manila University, which Advincula falsely alleged was a meeting for the ouster plot.

Advincula also falsely claimed to have met Te for the release of the narcolist videos on May 2, 2019, the prosecution said.

Advincula also lied that present at the meeting was Vice President Leni Robredo, who has been cleared by the DOJ for participating in the alleged ouster plot.

“Clearly, such allegation in planning ‘Project Sodoma’ at Leong Hall of the Ateneo de Manila University is an outright lie and perjurious, considering that they were there for the purpose of attending a debate,” the resolution read.

The lawyers, of the Free Legal Assistance Group, also told the panel that they denied giving legal aid to Advincula due to his lack of credibility, the prosecutors said.

The prosecuting panel, however, dismissed the perjury and offering false testimony in evidence complaint against Lt. Col. Arnold Ibay of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which filed the sedition complaint against members of the opposition.

The prosecutors said Ibay did not commit falsehood because he referred Advincula’s statements to the DOJ for its investigation in good faith.

Advincula was also cleared of offering false testimony in evidence because his sworn affidavit resulted in the filing of a conspiracy to commit sedition charge in court, the prosecution said.

Advincula, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, activist priests Flaviano Villanueva, SVD and Albert Alejo SJ and seven others face the conspiracy to commit sedition case before the Quezon City MTC.