THE Bikoy controversy has been going downhill since Peter Joemel Advincula surfaced at the office of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Pasig City seeking legal assistance.
It can be recalled that the fiasco kicked off when a video by 'Bikoy' was released on Youtube and other social media platforms. The video, titled "Ang Totoong Narcolist," tags Paolo Duterte, Christopher "Bong" Go, and Manases Carpio as being part of a syndicate.
Then on May 6, Advincula surfaced claiming to be Bikoy.
“Nagdesisyon akong lumabas dahil una - meron banta sa aking buhay. Ikalawa- dahil sa tawag ng konsensya (I decided to come out because, firstly, I have received a death threat. Secondly, I am bothered by my conscience)," Advincula said. He even stressed that he is not connected to any politician or political party.
When he surfaced, Advincula was clearly confident about his claims. He was ready to fight and stand his ground should someone try to refute his claims. He was really claiming that whatever was in the video was the truth.
However, in less than a month, Advincula has backtracked his statements in a press conference on May 23. This time Advincula alleged that "Ang Totoong Narcolist" was scripted and orchestrated by the Liberal Party and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
He even apologized to presidential son Paolo Duterte, his brother-in-law Manases Carpio and senator-elect Christopher "Bong" Go for the accusations made in the videos.
It was reported that Advincula said all the allegations of "Bikoy" were lies.
The stories of Bikoy did not stop there. During the press conference, he said the opposition has a plot against the administration dubbed as "Project Sodomo." Advincula claims that Trillanes and the Liberal Party have promised him P500,000 in exchange for his "act." However, the promised cash never got to him.
Aside from Trillanes and the Liberal Party, allegedly involved in the plot were a Catholic priest, whom he identified as Father Albert Alejo, and LP candidates, except for Manuel Roxas II.
"Ang Project Sodoma ay isang proyekto para pabagsakin si Presidente Duterte at ang makaupo sa posisyon si Vice President Leni Robredo (Project Sodoma is aimed at ousting President Duterte and installing Vice President Leni Robredo as the new president),” Advincula said in a press conference.
Robredo and Trillanes have denied these allegations.
While we are no strangers to how messy Philippine politics could be, this is another mess and drama that will be added to our history books.
Since the campaign season prior to the 2016 election, the opposition has been relentless against the Duterte administration. The administration, despite the attacks, has also been putting up a good fight.
Well, whatever Bikoy is trying to say now, in the eyes of the general public, he is not credible as he sounds now.
Anyway, for many of us Filipinos, especially the voters, we are getting tired of such drama in politics. No one is benefitting from all these political dramas. It will not alleviate the lives of poor families. It will not finish the rehabilitation of Marawi. It will not make the lives of Filipinos, in general, any better. However, it does make good television.
What we are saying is, while we need answers to such allegations, we need the government to exert more efforts on its projects and programs for the Filipinos. The opposition will not stop its attacks on the government. That is what they do.
One way the current administration could do to shut up its critics and the opposition is by focusing on its developmental and socioeconomic programs that it has promised for the Filipinos.
We can say that it has been doing that for quite some time but we still want to hear more of its progress on its promises for the Filipinos.
Enough with the political drama please. The drama puts a fog on what needs to be addressed right now.