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Ex-Duterte aide disputes allegations
MANILA, Philippines — Will two close allies – now both sitting senators – soon join former president Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague?
Sen. Bong Go, long-time aide of the former president, has been named one of the “co-perpetrators” along with Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and six others in an official document filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC prosecutor on Friday filed a less redacted version of the document containing charges against Duterte, which was first submitted to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I in July 2025.
The document – which will be read during the opening of the confirmation of charges hearing against Duterte on Feb. 23 – contained details of the former president’s involvement in the alleged crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines from 2011 to 2019, when the country was a member of the ICC.
In a statement, Go branded as “unfair” his inclusion as co-perpetrator. “I dispute these allegations which are entirely unfounded, one-sided, unfair and bear no relation to the reality of my roles and responsibilities during my service as Special Assistant to the President from June 2016 to October 2018 as well as executive assistant to the mayor of Davao City from 1998 to 2016,” he said.
Go maintained that he has served in government with integrity and with the good of the people in mind.
“Throughout my career, I have upheld the highest standards of integrity, transparency and dedication to the welfare of our people. I will not allow these baseless accusations to distract me from my responsibilities as a duly elected senator of the Republic. My focus remains steadfastly on serving the Filipino people, particularly the poor and vulnerable,” he said.
Senate caucus
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the Senate leadership will discuss in a caucus the chamber’s move if Go and Dela Rosa were arrested.
“We will meet in a caucus and consult each other on what to do. Immunity from arrest is only for offenses six years and below. We still don’t know what charges they will face. It is still unclear,” Lacson said over radio dwIZ.
Dela Rosa was implicated for his role as Davao police chief from 2012 to 2013 and as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief from 2016 to 2018, while Go was tagged for his role as personal aide and special assistant to Duterte when the latter was mayor of Davao City, and as special assistant and chief of the Presidential Managerial Staff during the Duterte presidency.
Aside from the deadly campaign against illegal drugs during his presidency, the charges against Duterte also cover killings committed by the so-called Davao death squad (DDS) when he was mayor or vice mayor of Davao City.
Other officials named in the document were former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde, Camilo Cascolan (deceased) and Vicente Danao, former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Dante Gierran, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Isidro Lapeña and former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. The STAR tried to get reactions from Albayalde, Aguirre and Danao but did not get any response.
Except for Duterte, who is currently detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague, the other officials have not been slapped with formal charges, at least based on documents available to the public.
The ICC has not confirmed earlier reports that an arrest warrant has been issued against Dela Rosa, although it has been the practice of the court to release information on charges only after the accused is in custody.
Dela Rosa has not reported to the Senate since November last year, when rumors of the issuance of arrest warrant against him began to circulate.
‘Structure of power’
In the document, the ICC prosecutor alleged that Duterte and his co-perpetrators controlled a “structure of power… that enabled them to control the will of the physical perpetrators,” particularly members of the DDS that committed killings in Davao City.
“Duterte and his co-perpetrators used the DDS, including its low-level members, as tools to commit the crimes encompassed by the common plan,” the document read, referring to the supposed agreement to “neutralize” alleged criminal through violent means.
“Those who did not follow orders risked being killed and were disposed of when perceived as opposing or posing a threat to the common plan, however insignificant,” he added.
The ICC prosecutor noted that Duterte appointed the other officials to high-level national positions, such as Dela Rosa as PNP chief, Go as Special Assistant to the President, Lapeña as PDEA director-general, Gierran as NBI director and Aguirre as justice secretary.
“During the presidential period, Duterte and his co-perpetrators used the national network, including its low-level members, as tools to commit the crimes encompassed by the common plan. In their new geographically expanded roles, the co-perpetrators controlled the will of the physical perpetrators through a mechanism that ensured their automatic compliance with their orders,” the charges read.
“As with the DDS in Davao City, the physical perpetrators were fungible within the apparatus and those who did not follow orders risked being killed when perceived as opposing or posing a threat to the common plan,” it added.
Duterte was charged for three counts of crimes against humanity covering 49 incidents involving 76 killings and two attempted murders.
These included 19 DDS killings from 2013 to 2016 in Davao area, as well as 14 killings of high-value targets and 43 more during barangay clearance operations when Duterte was president.
The limited number of incidents would be used to prove that there was a “systematic” and “widespread” attack against a civilian population during the period.
Duterte was tagged as an indirect co-perpetrator of the crimes, with alleged roles including the design and dissemination of the policy, establishment of the DDS, instruction and authorization of violent acts, appointment of key personnel, provision of necessary resources and offering of financial incentives.
Ensuring impunity
Kristina Conti, who represents some of the drug war victims, said the document “shows that the plan was crafted not only to ensure implementation, but to ensure impunity.”
“The involvement of those in the investigating units, which should have acted as the killings happen, is material to the plan. This also emphasizes that the ‘war on drugs’ began in Davao,” she pointed out.
For ML party-list Rep. De Lima, the development indicates the world is getting smaller for Duterte and his co-perpetrators.
“Time and again, we warned these people, even from prison, that this day will come,” De Lima said. And like the former president, De Lima said Go, Dela Rosa and the others did not listen.
“They were so arrogant. Many of them will now go into hiding, joining Bato on the lam. No matter, justice will always catch up with them. Justice will be served,” she said.
Sen. Robinhood Padillla said the development left him “depressed,” as he expressed solidarity with Go and Dela Rosa.
Padilla said Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano informed him of a plan to convene the nine-member minority bloc to discuss the case of Go and Dela Rosa.
Meanwhile, Lacson said Dela Rosa now has a stronger reason to continue hiding, as his inclusion as “co-perpetrator” has heightened the likelihood of his arrest. But the Senate president pro-tempore stressed he is not taking it against Dela Rosa, as he himself had evaded arrest on trumped up charges during the Arroyo administration. “I have no moral ascendancy to judge Senator Bato. It’s his call. He better hide well. Law enforcers should also do more to find him,” Lacson said. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Jose Rodel Clapano, Emmanuel Tupas
