Retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr. on Friday called the Philippine National Police -Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) stupid for filing baseless cases against him, and 37 other members of the clergy, and opposition officials.
Bacani finally spoke a day after the PNP charged him with sedition and other criminal complaints based on the claims of Peter Joemel Advincula.
Advincula claimed to be “Bikoy” in the video, which linked President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his family and friends to illegal drugs operations.
Bacani denied the allegation of PNP against him stressing he has not even met Advincula, who he described as “untrustworthy.”
“That shows how stupid the police are, since they could be easily fooled,” Bacani in an interview in Church-owned Radio Veritas.
Aside from Bacani, other members of the clergy who were sued by PNP-CIDG were Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas; Caloocan Bishop Pablo S. Virgilio S. David and Cubao Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco; Former education secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, and clergy members Robert Reyes and Albert E. Alejo.
Ongtioco also denied the allegation of Advincula that he was among those responsible for the destabilization plot against Duterte.
“I don’t know why I am included in the list. I am and will always be a person of peace,” Ongtioco said in a SMS.
Bacani said accused the administration of using the filing charges against its vocal critics in an attempt to district the public from a bigger issue.
“If the administration is doing this, they want to hide something from the public,” Bacani said.
Malacañang earlier denied its involvement in the cases stating it was independently filed by the police.