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Duterte tags Trillanes, Otso Diretso in 'Bikoy' videos


President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday claimed opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is behind the viral videos that implicated some members of the First Family and their associates in the illegal drug trade.

Duterte also linked the opposition senatorial slate Otso Diretso and Magdalo party-list to the "Ang Totoong Narcolist" videos that showed a hooded man named "Bikoy" who the President said on Wednesday is a soldier allied with Trillanes.

"Actually 'yang Bikoy Bikoy, Magdalo 'yan at Otso Diretso. Production ni Trillanes," the President said in a speech in Cebuano at a campaign rally in Davao City.

Bikoy said presidential son Paolo Duterte and Christopher "Bong" Go, a longtime aide of the President, received payoffs from a drug syndicate.

Paolo Duterte and Go have since denied the claims made in the video series.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier confirmed a Manila Times report on the supposed destabilization plot by some organizations and media personalities that is anchored on the allegations made by Bikoy.

The Palace spokesman has since released an expanded matrix that tagged the Liberal Party, Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison and Magdalo party-list in alleged efforts to discredit the administration and boost the candidacies of the Otso Diretso slate.

Also named in the list are: TV host Gretchen Ho and Olympic medallist Hidilyn Diaz.

The personalities named in the new matrix have denied being part of a conspiracy to remove Duterte from office and challenged Malacañang to prove the allegations.

Duterte said on Wednesday he was not interested in pressing charges against persons in the list who are supposedly involved in efforts to destabilize his administration.

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