Man who uploaded 'Bikoy' videos arrested; Duterte accuser at large

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) - A man who uploaded a series of videos accusing President Rodrigo Duterte's family of getting millions of pesos in kickbacks from the narcotics trade has been arrested, an official of the justice department said Thursday. 

The Youtube clips titled "Totoong Narco-list" claimed drug money was funneled into the bank accounts of Duterte's son former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, his son-in-law Atty. Manases Carpio and former aide Christopher Go.

Atty. Charito Zamora, officer-in-charge of the justice department's Office of Cybercrime, confirmed that the man who uploaded the videos was arrested "for cyber libel."

No other details were immediately available pending the report of the National Bureau of Investigation, she said. 

The official also denied a newspaper report on the supposed arrest of "Bikoy," a hooded figure in the videos who claimed that he used to keep financial records for the drug syndicate that allegedly had dealings with the Duterte family. 

"The guy that was arrested by the NBI was the one who uploaded the ‘Bikoy videos’ for cyber libel, not Bikoy himself," Zamora said in a text message to ABS-CBN News. 

The suspect was served a search warrant from a Metro Manila court, said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra in a separate text message. 

There were no immediate details about how the service of a search warrant led to the suspect's arrest. 

Bikoy earlier said Paolo Duterte and Go had on their backs tattoos of a dragon-like figure and the alpha-numeric code of their supposed drug-tainted bank accounts. 

Go, who is running for senator, recently took off his shirt to show he has no tattoo. The younger Duterte, meanwhile, refused to bare his back. 

Paolo, who is running for representative of Davao City's first district in the May 13 midterm elections, earlier accused Sen. Antonio Trillanes of being behind the video, which the lawmaker denied. 

Paolo's sister Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said she was not planning to take legal action against the video's alleged uploader, but she "cannot speak for other members of the family."