’Bikoy’ a fugitive, coddlers warned

The Justice department on Wednesday warned those coddling Peter Joemel Advincula, the self-confessed “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narco List” videos that accused several members of the presidential family of being linked to the illegal drug trade.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the coddlers of Advincula could face criminal charges since Advincula was now considered a fugitive due to the arrest warrants against him issued by the courts in several provinces for estafa and illegal recruitment.

“Coddlers of fugitives are criminally liable for obstruction of justice. Those who are proven to be helping Advincula hide from authorities will face cases,” Guevarra said.

He said the government was not considering putting up a bounty for Advincula’s arrest―as in the case of former police official Eduardo Acierto―at this time as the authorities were confident of arresting him.

“There’s no need to put a bounty for his arrest. We’re confident that he will be apprehended quite soon,” Guevarra said.

The Justice department earlier alerted Immigration to prevent Advincula’s possible escape.

Guevarra said the Immigration offices in all international airports havd been alerted to prevent  Advincula from leaving the country as he was not yet considered a fugitive.

He cited the outstanding warrants of arrest against Advincula issued by the regional trial courts in Baguio City and La Trinidad in Benguet over illegal recruitment and estafa.

He said his office was also considering seeking a hold-departure order for Advincula, but stressed the warrants would suffice to get him arrested at the airports.

On May 13, Advincula surfaced and held a press conference at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines headquarters in Pasig City and repeated his story that several personalities supposedly belonging to the “Quadrangle” and “Davao” groups were involved in the illegal drug trade.

He stood by his claims that the President’s children Paolo and Sara and her husband Manases Carpio, as well as his partner Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña and their daughter Kitty, of benefiting from the illegal drug trade.

Advincula admitted that he served prison time from 2012 to 2016 after being convicted for illegal recruitment and estafa.

In Sept. 2007, Baguio RTC Judge Ruben Ayson issued an arrest warrant against Advincula for illegal recruitment.  

In the same month, La Trinidad, Benguet RTC Judge Delilah Gonzales-Muñoz also issued a warrant of arrest against him for estafa.

Last week, businessman Arven Valmores of Ardeur World Marketing also filed a new estafa complaint against Advincula before the Justice department.

He claims that Advincula sponsored a beauty pageant in Albay in August last year and used the corporate name and logo of Valmores’ business without his consent for promotion.