MANILA – Peter Joemel “Bikoy” Advincula was detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at Camp Crame over an arrest warrant for cyber libel charge.
CIDG-National Capital Region chief Lt. Col. Arnold Ibay said Advincula voluntarily surrendered to them on Monday after an arrest warrant issued against him by the Legazpi City Regional Trial Court Branch 5 earlier this month.
The P1-billion cyber libel charge was filed against Advincula and several others by Bicolano businessman Elizaldy Co in relation to “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series linking President Rodrigo Duterte, his family and allies to illegal drug trade.
Co and Misibis Resort and Hotel Management, Inc., accused Facebook, Google (YouTube’s owner), Advincula, and Rodel Jayme of cyber libel in relation to Article 353, 354, and 355 of the Revised Penal Code.
Co said his name and business reputation were maligned by Advincula when he linked the former and his company to “an alleged drug syndicate operating in the Bicol and Visayas region” in one of the videos.
“Some banks and financial institutions have raised questions on his credit worthiness, with one suspending the processing of my loan application and others asking me to explain as a result of the allegations,” Co said.
“The truth is finally out. By his own admission, ‘Bikoy’ said everything in the viral videos series that implicates me, Misibis Bay Resort and other personalities in the illegal drug trade are pure fabrication,” he added.
“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.
Advincula’s cyber libel case adds to a number of other criminal charges he is facing, including sedition raps filed by the CIDG before the Department of Justice for his involvement in the video series./PN
