PNP: Manhunt on for ‘Bikoy’

MANILA — Police authorities are now hunting down Peter Joemel Advincula, alias “Bikoy”, who has a pending case before local courts.

“The manhunt operation is underway to find him and to serve the pending warrants of arrest against Advincula, who surfaced before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines as “Bikoy”,” said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, in a statement Friday.

Albayalde said Advincula and his cohorts are facing a estafa case and has standing warrants of arrest issued by Judge Leody M. Opolinto of the Municipal Trial Court of La Trinidad, Benguet on Sept 26, 2007, and for large scale illegal recruitment issued by the Baguio City Regional Trial Court on August 10, 2007.

“It appears that Advincula has been using different names to hide his real identity such as R. B. Santos, John Paul Rafael Benedict Santos, Arcangel de Leon or Archie Santos, Lory Camba, and Jaime Gaupo Jr.,” he said.

“In March 2007, the accused committed illegal recruitment and asked for training fee amounting to PHP300 in exchange of employment at Colegio Del La Pontifical Academia in Baguio City,” the PNP chief said.

PNP spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac said the CIDG has already secured copies of both warrants.

On Wednesday, Albayalde said Advincula, apparently had a reputation of selling information to law enforcement agencies, “especially and even false information”.

“There’s one here who gave money to him as part of intelligence [gathering]… [The intelligence] bought from him had printouts [detailing] then the same things he’s releasing now,” Albayalde told reporters on Wednesday in a press briefing in Camp Crame, Quezon city.

“It’s not just one agency we know of. I can’t say which [law enforcement] agencies, but he was able to fool them. He even knows our senior officers here who [are waging] an intensified campaign against illegal drugs,” Albayalde said.

“For several times, he has been able to ask for a large amount of money, and it turned out all he said were false,” said Albayalde, adding that Advincula would ask for PHP50,000 to PHP70,000 for such “information”. In these incidents, Albayalde said those who bought his offered “intelligence” eventually just backed away [“umatras”] from the supposed information.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier advised Advincula to substantiate his claims before authorities or face the consequences of his actions.

“The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) is waiting for Advincula/Bikoy to show up and submit his complaint with supporting evidence against the persons he implicated in the illegal drug trade. Should he fail to do so, the DOJ (Department of Justice) will consider his possible inclusion in Rodel Jayme’s inciting to sedition case or indictment for other criminal charges after proper investigation,” Guevarra told reporters.