Trillanes warns Duterte accuser on revealing identity: It's too risky

Amid the controversy over the so-called "Bikoy" videos, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday said he would not advise anonymous whistleblowers to surface and publicly accuse President Rodrigo Duterte because it is too risky.

"I will not force anyone to go out and accuse Duterte openly because their lives would be at stake," Trillanes said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

He said alias Bikoy who claims to be a former member of a drug syndicate in the country should prepare well if he decides to reveal his identity.

"Mag-isip-isip siya, kung talagang seryoso siya sa alegasyon na 'to kailangan panindigan niya but mayroong risks dito," Trillanes said.

"Kung lalabas siya eh kailangan alamin niya 'yung haharapin niya, kasi nakita mo 'yung ginawa kay Lascañas, Matobato... anong ginawa sa kanila ng Senado at saka nitong si Duterte, ng administrasyon? Kinasuhan si Matobato saka si Lascañas base dun sa kanilang testimonya."

The senator was referring to retired Davao City cop Arturo "Arthur" Lascañas and self-confessed former member of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) Edgar Motabato who both claimed that the DDS existed and that Duterte was allegedly linked to several killings in Davao City.

Moreover, Trillanes said there will be no grounds for a Senate investigation if Bikoy will not show up.

"Kung hindi siya lalabas there will be no basis for a Senate investigation pero there is a basis for government agencies to pursue those leads."

In a series of videos titled "Ang Totoong Narcolist," alias Bikoy alleged that the personalities close to Duterte had raked in huge amounts of money from the illegal drug trade.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently arrested the administrator of the website, Rodel Jayme, on which the videos were uploaded. Jayme insisted that he merely created the website and his clients were the ones who uploaded the viral videos of Bikoy.

Trillanes said that the NBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) should first investigate if the allegations of "Bikoy" are true before they continue with their crackdown against those who were behind it.

"Ang tanong dito, totoo ba o hindi ang alegasyon ni Bikoy? Kasi kung totoo, anong kasalanan nitong si Jayme at si Bikoy? Diba wala? Kasi hindi krimeng magsabi ng totoo," he said.

"I am quite curious dito sa galaw ng Duterte administration kasi kung fake news 'yan dapat hindi ganyan, hindi ganyan silang ka-panic at talagang parang nagpupursige," he added while pointing out that it was DOJ's top official Secretary Menardo Guevarra who was holding a press conference regarding such a "trivial" alleged crime of video uploaders.

Trillanes said authorities should take action on the information from the controversial videos just like with any other anonymous tips from e-mails and phone calls, and not immediately regard it as fake news.

Nonetheless, Trillanes denied that he has a hand on the videos.

He, however, said that he is willing to protect Bikoy if he is telling the truth.

"Kung hawak niya 'yung katotohanan, definitely gagawa tayo ng paraan para ilabas ito at maprotektahan siya," he said. —Dona Magsino/LBG, GMA News