Malacañang yesterday accused the Liberal Party and some “Otso Diretso” senatorial bets of conspiring with other groups to discredit the Duterte administration and boost the candidacy of opposition candidates.
Malacanang also tagged the Magdalo Group to be conspiring with other personalities allied with the LP and with those tagged in the matrix presented last month.
“The President has received intelligence information that shows there is a deliberate conspiracy between certain groups to discredit this administration for purposes of this election,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
“And the groups, according to this intelligence information, seem to be the Liberal Party, the Yellows, Magdalos, and the media outfits, as well as the organizations indicated in the matrix presented to you the other week,” he added.
According to Panelo, citing new matrices, the groups seem to be working hand-in-hand to discredit the administration and boost the candidacy of Otso Diretso Senate candidates.
Malacañang last month said that Rappler, the Vera Files, and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism are part of a conspiracy to ruin the reputation of President Duterte and his family.
Citing an “in-depth” analysis of all Internet activities and footprints, Panelo said veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas had a “very active” online collaboration with the group of former presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, blogger Cocoy Dayao, Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV, and Communist Party of the Philippines founder Joma Sison.
Panelo also said there is a collaboration with the group of webmaster Arman Pontejos, Metro Balita website creator Rodel Jayme, and a certain “Bong Banal” whom Panelo bared as the real narrator of the “Bikoy” videos alleging that Duterte’s family and closest allies are involved in the illegal drugs trade.
A man – Peter Joemel Advincula – surfaced Monday and said he was the hooded man in the controversial videos.
“It appears from this diagram that the Liberal Party, Magdalo, and other groups indicated in the matrix, are working hand-in-hand. Why do we say this? Intelligence information shows that some of them, not all of them, are using the same office,” Panelo said.
“Personalities like Bong Banal, Cocoy Dayao, and Rodel Jayme, they’re all known to be advocates of the Liberal Party. And then even their email address appears to be the ones sharing this video of Bikoy. Ibig sabihin the same people are sharing the same video of Bikoy,” Panelo added.
He also said that based on the information received by the President, Jayme was found to have constant online collaboration with other LP supporters, particularly journalist Inday Espina Varona, Gara Trillanes, and Otso Diretso bets Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay.
Panelo tagged some personalities identified as advocates very active in social media dishing out anti-Duterte statements and sentiments and validated to be allied with the LP.
Based on one of the matrices Panelo showed, Otso Diretso bets reelectionist Sen. Bam Aquino and former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” A. Roxas II are linked to one Jerry Mae Maghinay, the owner of the Facebook page where the video of former police officer Eduardo Acierto was initially uploaded.
According to Panelo, the copy of the matrices was given to him by a lawyer from the Office of the President. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
