Kristine Joy Patag (Philstar.com) – July 21, 2021 – 10:38 a.m.

MANILA, Philippines – A court in Manila has again issued an arrest warrant for Peter Joemel Advincula, the man claiming he was the “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos, on a charge of perjury for having linked lawyers for the Free Legal Assistance Group to an alleged foreclosure plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 17 Presiding Judge Karla Funtila-Abugan has ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against Advincula for failing to attend the arraignment and pre-trial conference for the perjury case against him.

“In view of the fact that the accused did not appear at today’s hearing despite the advice and at the request of the private prosecutor and the public prosecutor, the cash bond paid by the accused [Advincula] be confiscated and confiscated in favor of the government, ”reads the one-page order published Monday.

“Issue an arrest warrant against him with a bond double the amount of the previous bond posted by the accused,” he added.

The same court issued a warrant against Advincula in January and set the bond at P18,000.

The charge arose out of a complaint filed by FLAG lawyers Chel Diokno, Erin Tañada and Theodore Te. The perjury case against Advincula is a consequence of a sedition complaint filed by the police against more than 30 personalities linked to the political opposition.

Advincula was a respondent and a witness in the complaint.

FLAG lawyers accused Advincula of lying in his affidavit when he linked them to “Project Sodoma,” an alleged plot to erode trust in the government and lead to Duterte’s ouster.

In the end, only 11 people – including Advincula and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV – named in the police complaint were charged with conspiracy to commit sedition. Complaints against dozens of others, including FLAG lawyers, have been dismissed.

Indictment in August

The Manila court noted that the three lawyers and their lawyer, lawyer Doroteo Miguel Carillo, were present during the arraignment.

He then ordered the prosecution to obtain approval from the Justice Department so that a Manila prosecutor could conduct further proceedings in the case.

The indictment and the preliminary conference of the case were postponed until August 26 in the morning.

Judge Funtila-Abugan also stated in her order that her husband, Deputy Prosecutor Herbert Calvin Abugan, was the prosecutor investigating a separate Estafa complaint against Advincula.