IBP Davao slams national branch for allowing ”Bikoy” to divulge claims

May 7, 2019

The Davao City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) slammed on Monday its national branch for allowing it to be used as the "staging area for Bikoy's show,"

Peter Joemel Advincula surfaced Monday afternoon for a press conference at the IBP main office,claiming he is “Bikoy” in the “Totoong Narco-list” series which claimed members of President Rodrigo Duterte's family and associates are involved in illegal drugs.

“I'm Bikoy. I'm a real person and not a figment of the imagination, contrary to what some people are saying,” Advincula said, in Filipino.

"The IBP Davao City Chapter, is neither privy to Bikoy's show nor supportive of the same. It does not reflect the sentiment of the membership of the Chapter as an organization," it said in a statement.

The Davao City chapter ''Bikoy'' does not deserve legal assistance from IBP since it is "a non-partisan organization not established to cater to political interest."

"The fundamental purposes of the Integrated Bar shall be to elevate the standards of the legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively," IBP Davao explained.

"[B]ikoy's storyline is polluted and it's source comes from the very mouth of an alleged suborner himself. The IBP Davao City Chapter does not and will not tolerate any statements from the present leadership of the IBP National that will result in politicizing the organization," it added.

In a radio interview over dzMM late Monday, June Ambrosio of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines said they are evaluating legal assistance for Advincula and they will treat him as a regular client.

"Everything is still under evaluation, under consideration, so until such time that we are able to come up with a resolution on the application, we cannot divulge any information," Ambrosio said.

"You can see that Bikoy is determined to get help. IBP just did what they do to regular clients," she added. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS