Peter Joemel “Bikoy” Advincula on Tuesday denied the perjury charge filed against him by Free Legal Assistance Group accusing him of lying when he implicated FLAG lawyers Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, Erin Tañada and Theodore Te in the “Project Sodoma” plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a three-page counter affidavit, Advincula sought the dismissal of the perjury complaint by the three FLAG lawyers.
Advincula insisted he issued factual statements in his sworn affidavit in the sedition complaint filed by the Philippine National Police- Criminal Investigation Detection Group before the Department of Justice.
“Contrary to the allegations of the complaint, all factual matters which the undersigned stated in his affidavit-complaint constituting the sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber, liber, and harboring criminal/ obstruction of justice are duly supported by evidence, and equipped with necessary details connecting the actions and participations of the various individuals in conceptualizing the ‘Ang Totoong Narcolist’ [videos],” said Advincula, who is the lone witness, as well as one of the 35 respondents, in the sedition complaint filed by the PNP-CIDG.
Advincula along with PNP-CIDG Lt. Col. Arnold Thomas Ibay were named respondents in the perjury complaint.
The respondent believed the perjury filed against him was nothing more than a harassment suit, to deter him from testifying against them in the sedition complaint.
“Clearly therefore, the present complaint is a vain attempt to mislead, or confuse the authorities in the investigation on the case referred to the DOJ by the CIDG-PNP, and that to charge the undersigned with violation of Articles 183 and 184 is clearly a nuisance or harassment suit,” he stressed.
According to him, the FLAG lawyers were given the opportunity to air their side on the sedition case by filing their own counter-affidavit, and to refute the allegations he made against them.
Advincula also argued that the FLAG lawyers were unable to meet the elements of perjury, so the complaint against him should be dismissed.
“The veracity of the truthfulness of my testimony and statements will rest within the jurisdiction of the courts for determination once a complaint for sedition or inciting to sedition is filed in court. Thus, this present complaint will compromise the resolution of the aforesaid case,” he said.
Last July 18, the PNP-CIDG filed a sedition case against Vice President Leni Robredo and 34 others, including the three FLAG lawyers, before the DOJ. The complaint was based on the testimony of Advincula who claimed that the respondents allegedly conspired to implicate family members and friends of President Duterte in the illegal drugs trade and remove him from Malacañang.
He claimed that he met with Diokno and Tañada at the Ateneo de Manila University last March 4, and met Te reportedly on May 2 and discussed his press conference at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.