DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is not interested in suing the alleged uploader of a YouTube video linking her family to the narcotics trade.
On Thursday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested the uploader of the series of videos featuring a hooded man claiming to be a certain “Bikoy” who implicated the family of President Rodrigo Duterte in the illegal drugs trade.
Sara said she will not be taking legal actions against the uploader.
"He is just a fool, no depth," the mayor said in a text message.
However, Duterte-Carpio said she "cannot speak for other members of the family".
Paolo Duterte has not yet issued a statement regarding the uploader's arrest.
Meanwhile, Charito Zamora, officer-in-charge of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Cybercrime, declined to identify the uploader. No other details of the arrest were also available.
The series of videos, entitled “Totoong Narcolist”, featured “Bikoy” who said he was a member of a drug syndicate and that his primary task was to keep transaction records also known as “tara”.
His records allegedly show members of the First Family receiving payout and the amount allotted for each “leader of the syndicate”.
Among those allegedly on Bikoy’s list were Duterte’s son Paolo and son-in-law Manases Carpio, husband of the mayor, who allegedly uses his brother Waldo as a dummy.
Bikoy also said Veronica, Duterte’s youngest daughter, and her mother Honeylet Avanceña were also among the “beneficiaries” of the drug money which is being deposited through an international account based in Hong Kong.
Bikoy said this was the reason for the mother and daughter’s frequent trips to Hong Kong.
In a previous report, Paolo Duterte denied involvements in the trade. He tagged Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as the mastermind behind the video.
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said during a press briefing Thursday, the president has not yet issued any reaction to the issue.
“We’ll just wait for the official report of the police , or the NBI will have to do their duty,” Panelo said on Thursday noon. (With reports from Sunstar Philippines)