MANILA, Philippines – Senator Bong Go has added a new chapter to the administration’s accusation of a conspiracy plotted by the opposition against them.

On Thursday, August 1, Bong Go attended a Camp Crame press briefing by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to announce the capture of two alleged scammers who targeted senators, congressmen, and at least one vice governor.

After Albayalde narrated how the arrest happened and that the PNP would file estafa and identity theft charges, he gave the floor to Go to tell his story.

Like what they did in scamming Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, the alleged scammers sent a message to Go by pretending to be Camarines Sur 4th District Representative Arnie Fuentebella.

But Go said he was not fooled because he was used to dealing with scammers back when he was the special aide of President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.

But Go admitted that he did not come to the PNP press briefing just to tell the story of the scam. He said he spoke to the alleged scammers himself.

Why Go went to the briefing: “Kaya po ako narito ngayon, mas naging interesado po ako dahil medyo malalim pala itong taong ito. Alam niyo, inutusan pala siya nong nakaraang eleksyon para siraan kami (I became more interested because, it turns out, the connections of these guys run deep. You know what, they were apparently ordered in the past elections to smear our reputations),” Go claimed, referring to the administration’s allies.

He added: “Ngayon tinatanong ko si Bam Aquino, anong ginagawa ng chief of staff mo, nagdedeposito ng pera sa account niya para siraan kami (Now, I am asking Bam Aquino, what is your chief of staff doing, depositing money into his account to smear us)?”

A reporter then asked an off-tangent question: How did the scammers get the targeted politicians’ personal phone numbers? 

Go replied that everyone has their numbers, even the media. The senator then narrated what his main purpose for attending the briefing. He asked the cops if the leader of the two scammers was Dennis Borbon. The generals said yes. (READ: PNP honors Senate bet Bong Go on eve of campaign period)

“Sabihin mo ang totoo kung paano tayo nagkausap, ano ang nalalaman mo (Tell the truth about how we talked and what you know),” Go ordered.

The new alleged conspiracy: Borbon then volunteered information against himself and the opposition, saying he was an “anti-administration” and “anti-Duterte” blogger. He claimed managing a Facebook page with weekly engagement of up to 300,000. He did not say the name of his supposed Facebook page. 

“Lumapit sa akin yung chief of staff ni Senator Bam Aquino na si former Daraga councilor Ares Goyena, at pinapatira sa akin lahat ng senatorial candidate ng administrasyon (The chief-of-staff of Senator Bam Aquino, former Daraga councilor Ares Goyena went to me and asked me to attack the senatorial candidates of the administration),” he said.

He said he was paid between P20,000 to P40,000 a month during the campaign period, adding that he also received money from former congressman and defeated opposition senatorial candidate Gary Alejano, and that he has met Peter Joemel Advincula—the controversial flip-flopping man known as Bikoy.

Go added that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was also involved in Borbon’s “demolition job.”

PNP going out of its way? In presenting the suspects on Thursday, the PNP violated its own rule of avoiding “trial by publicity.”

But according to PNP spokesman Brigadier General Bernard Banac, the presentation was called due to “public demand” and for the benefit of the officials who were victimized.

“It’s also to give government officials the opportunity to see and to verify,” Banac said.

Banac said they still have no ongoing investigation on Go’s latest anti-government conspiracy because he has not filed a formal complaint.

“It’s not yet substantiated, so we will see if he will formalize it. We are on standby because he just expressed…We are awaiting if he will file a complaint,” Banac added. – Rappler.com