DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 Feb) – The uploader of the controversial Mamasapano encounter video that went viral recently showed up at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office here Wednesday morning, but the NBI would not stop until they found out who the source is.
Victor Lorenzo, executive officer of the NBI’s Cybercrime Division, said the uploader is just a middleman and the investigation as to the source continues.
Lorenzo said they identified the uploader after some online investigation.
An NBI team from the national office arrived in Davao City Tuesday morning and proceeded to Kidapawan City in North Cotabato to meet the uploader. But they found out he was in this city and met him in an establishment within Davao in the afternoon.
The uploader then visited the NBI regional office along J. P. Laurel St. Wednesday morning for the followup investigation, Lorenzo said.
He said that the person who uploaded the Mamasapano video claimed that he downloaded it from his Facebook friend’s account and uploaded it on his account through his mobile phone.
“We are still validating his information. Once the forensic examination is conducted on the tools that he provided, we will know if he just downloaded it,” Lorenzo said.
The video shows a Special Action Force (SAF) trooper finished off with two gunshots to the head. However, the Mamasapano encounter video was already removed and the uploader’s Facebook page has been deactivated.
Lorenzo stressed that the uploader is not placed under restriction but he said that he could be charged because he violated the Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, which discusses about “immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows.”
“When asked about his motive, he just said that ‘bagong video kasi’,” Lorenzo said.
The SAF went to Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province to serve warrants of arrest against Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Filipino terrorist Abdul Absit Usman.
Marwan was killed while Usman was able to escape.
Meanwhile, Eric Distor, Assistant Regional Director of NBI-11, said that they are considering the uploader as a witness and could be used in identifying the author of the video because he knows the first uploader and his whereabouts.
Distor added that the uploader pledged his willingness to cooperate with the authorities.
In a local television report, the uploader explained to the public and to the families of the fallen SAF 44 that he had no bad intention for sharing the video.
On Tuesday, the NBI warned vendors in Quiapo, Manila to stop selling optical discs or DVDs containing the viral videos of the Mamasapano encounter.
Mendez also directed the bureau’s regional and district heads to confiscate the DVDs being sold to the public.