MANILA, Philippines – Peter Joemel Advincula or “Bikoy” hopes to bring in more whistle-blowers against the government, particularly friends from his supposed ex-drug syndicate in Bicol, the Quadrangle Group.

In an interview with Rappler on Tuesday, May 7, Advincula said he expects that at most 3 former companions working in the drug business would surface to testify against presidential son Paolo Duterte, longtime presidential aide and now senatorial candidate Bong Go, and Manases Carpio, the husband of presidential daughter Sara Duterte. (READ: Bikoy surfaces, asks help from IBP to sue Paolo Duterte, Bong Go)

“Kailangan ko ring ihanda ang mga kasama ko, dahil hindi lang naman ako ang na’ndito. Mayroon pang mga kasama ako na lalabas din at papatunayan ang mga unang sinabi ko. Meron pa, hindi lang ako. Ako lang ang nauna. Siguro, oras matapos ang testimonya ko, maaari rin silang humarap,” Avincula said.

(I also need to prepare my companions, because I am not alone here. I have companions who will surface to prove what I have said. There are others, not just me. I am just the first. Maybe when I’m done testifying, they can surface.)

This is if the Senate probe led by Senator Panfilo Lacson would push through.

In a series of viral videos, a man named “Bikoy” – who later turned out to be Advincula – claimed to have worked in the Bicol-based drug syndicate from 2010 to 2012, apparently beginning as a CCTV operator. He then claimed to have risen to a position involving double-checking fund transfer documents, and scanning the tattoos of high-profile members of the drug syndicate before the multimillion-peso transfers.

To back up this accusation, Advincula’s body of evidence consists so far only of unvalidated bank transfer documents and his memory. He hopes to gather more testimonies and pieces of evidence when his companions surface to corroborate his story.

When will his companions stand up? Even Advincula is not sure.

He said he was told by his colleagues that they would emerge once he has spoken. Advincula has been invited by Lacson to a Senate committee hearing for Friday, May 10. However, the self-branded whistle-blower said he not take the risk of appearing in public before the long weekend to the midterm elections, suspecting that law enforcement agencies would take the opportunity to seize him and lock him up. – Rappler.com