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Trillanes admits priests brought 'Bikoy' in Aug 2018; says Bikoy failed vetting

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV admitted Monday he was approached by Peter Joemel Advincula about the alleged drug links of the Duterte family last year but that Advincula failed a vetting process so that he could be used as a witness in a Senate inquiry. In a privilege speech in the Senate, Trillanes said a group of priests told him last August about Advincula who apparently sought sanctuary due to alleged threats to his life. He said he listened to Advincula&#x27;s story but rejected him as a witness since certain details were missing. &quot;Unang inilapit sa akin si Bikoy ng mga pari noong August last year. Ayon sa kanila, ito raw si Bikoy ay humingi sa kanila ng sanctuary dahil siya raw ay papatayin ng mga taga-sindikato na involved sa illegal drugs. Pinakinggan ko siya subalit nakulangan ako at naguluhan sa mga detalye kaya isinantabi ko at tuluyan nang kinalimutan ang usapang ito,&quot; he said. &quot;The fact na hindi ko siya inilabas dito ibig sabihin hindi siya nakapasa sa aming vetting process at lalong hindi ko siya kinupkop...Sa awa ng Diyos, hindi pa ako nasusunog sa mga nilabas ko,&quot; he said. He also pointed out that he was in the news the entire month of September 2018 after President Duterte revoked the grant of amnesty for him and a Makati court issued a warrant for his arrest. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/04/18/trillanes-amnesty-revoked-senator-faces-charges-arrest">Trillanes amnesty voided; senator faces charges, arrest</a></li></ul>In February 2019, the same group of priests again approached the senator - this time bearing documents on alleged bank accounts of the leaders of narcotics syndicates. The priests, he said, claimed the documents came from 2 of Advincula&#x27;s accomplices. In the same month, several priests said they were receiving death threats from unknown individuals. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/26/19/palace-refuses-to-take-blame-for-death-threats-vs-church-officials">Palace refuses to take blame for death threats vs Church officials</a></li></ul>Trillanes said he asked investigative journalists, media outfits and several local and foreign entities to check the veracity of the details but was told the validation process &quot;might take a while.&quot; He said he told the priests to wait for the results of the verification process when the series of Ang Totoong Narco-list videos started coming out on YouTube. At that time, Trillanes was out of the country. &quot;Uulitin ko, wala akong kinalaman sa paglabas ng mga videos na &#x27;yun. To my PMA upperclassmen here, alright, sir,&quot; he said. When Advincula surfaced last May 6, Trillanes said he asked fellow opposition senators to hold off issuing a resolution to investigate Advincula&#x27;s claims because he still had reservations. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/19/bikoy-surfaces-seeks-legal-assistance">&#x27;Bikoy&#x27; seeks legal aid, denies links to Otso Diretso</a></li></ul>He said Advincula&#x27;s press conference last May 23 linking him and the Liberal Party to the Ang Totoong Narco-list videos was the same ploy used by another potential &quot;witness&quot;, Guillermina Arcillas, in 2017.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/23/19/bikoy-says-duterte-drug-claims-all-lies-tags-lp-trillanes">&#x27;Bikoy&#x27; says Duterte drug claims &#x27;all lies&#x27;; tags LP, Trillanes</a></li></ul>Arcillas earlier said in a press conference she was being bribed by Trillanes to testify against President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court. Trillanes, however, said it was Arcillas who first approached him through the help of a priest and claimed she had information that a member of the Duterte family was personally inspecting the arrival of cocaine shipments in Davao City. The senator also showed a video of Arcillas talking about her claims, which he submitted to the Senate. Trillanes said Advincula had &quot;lost all value and credibility as a witness&quot; after flip-flopping on his claims. He also said he cannot blame the priests who gave Advincula sanctuary after he claimed that he was in danger. &quot;As shepherds of Christ, that is their ministry. Hindi lang nila ine-expect na meron pa ring tao na susuklian ang kanilang kabutihan ng isang kataksilan,&quot; he said. Advincula left police custody last Saturday after posting bail for his estafa cases. Police said there is no pending warrant of arrest for Advincula. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/25/19/advincula-walks-free-after-posting-bail">Advincula walks free after posting bail</a></li></ul>

Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV admitted Monday he was approached by Peter Joemel Advincula about the alleged drug links of the Duterte family last year but that Advincula failed a vetting process so that he could be used as a witness in a Senate inquiry.

Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV admitted Monday he was approached by Peter Joemel Advincula about the alleged drug links of the Duterte family last year but that Advincula failed a vetting process so that he could be used as a witness in a Senate inquiry.