MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) started its manhunt operation on self-confessed “Bikoy” Peter Joemel Advincula after a court in Baguio City issued an arrest warrant against him.
PNP spokesman police Col. Bernard Banac said the PNP has connived with Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for the arrest of Advincula, who earlier claimed responsibility for the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video series.
“Manhunt operations of PNP-CIDG were underway to find and serve the warrants of arrest against Peter Joemel Advincula and his co-horts for estafa,” Banac said.
“We urge the public to report to authorities any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect,” he added.
Banac said the PNP secured two copies of warrants against Advincula.
The suspect has standing arrest warrants for estafa issued by the Municipal Trial Court of La Trinidad, Benguet in September 2007 and for a large-scale illegal recruitment issued by a Baguio City court in August of the same year.
Meanwhile, “Bikoy” faces the same criminal complaint before the Department of Justice for organizing a beauty pageant without giving prizes to the winners and leaving the staff unpaid.
Complainant Arven Valmores of Ardeur World Marketing said Advincula used his corporate name and logo for the promotion of a beauty pageant in 2018 without consent.
Valmores said the suspect and his business organization Exodus Phil 79 was a mere distributor of his company’s products without any employer-employee relationship.
“Respondent never attended the coronation night and became unreachable thereafter leaving all the members of the production staff unpaid,” Valmores said.
Valmores added he was forced to shell out P304, 422.00 to pay the winners and staff to avoid negative impact to his business after the suspect ran away.
“Respondent became untraceable and efforts to locate him to answer for his misrepresentation remained until recently when he resurfaced at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines,” Valmores said.
Advincula was jailed in 2012 for a separate large-scale illegal recruitment case and was released in 2016 due to good moral character. /PN
