Who are Duterte's alleged co-perpetrators named by ICC?

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday named the alleged co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the "common plan" to "neutralize alleged criminals" through "violent crimes including murder."

In the Document Containing the Charges (DCC) submitted by the Prosecution — a public lesser redacted version of which was posted on the ICC website — several key personalities were mentioned, including Senators Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Bong Go, and high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police during Duterte’s term as Davao City mayor, and later, president of the Philippines.

Who are Duterte’s co-perpetrators, and what are their roles in executing alleged “violent crimes” in the country?

Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa

Dela Rosa served as chief of the Davao City Police from January 2012 to October 2013, and chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July 2016 to April 2018.

As a former PNP chief, Dela Rosa is the main implementer of Duterte’s war on drugs. In a grand rally last year, he said that the deadly crackdown was a response to what they perceived as an imminent threat of drug lords taking control of local and national politics.

Following a statement from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that the ICC issued a warrant of arrest against him over the bloody war on drugs, Dela Rosa has not attended any session at the Senate since November 11, 2025.

Amid the alleged ICC warrant against him, Dela Rosa said that he remains "patient, composed, and dignified."

Vicente Danao

Vicente Danao served as chief of the Davao City Police from October 2013 to June 2016; counterintelligence chief of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence from July 2016 to February 2017; chief of Directorial Staff and then Deputy Director for Operations of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) from February 2017 to November 2018; and Manila Police District director from November 2018 to October 2019.

Following his stint as Calabarzon police chief, Danao was then appointed chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in 2020.

Camilo Cascolan

Camilo Cascolan was Davao Region Police Office’s finance chief from 2011-2012; chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations from July 2016 to April 2018; regional director of the NCRPO from April to May 2018; and chief of staff in the PNP Office of the Chief of Directorial Staff from September 2018 to October 2019.

Duterte appointed Cascolan as PNP chief in September 2020.

Cascolan is a co-author of the reinvigorated Oplan Double Barrel under the government’s war on drugs, which focused on high-value targets. Then the PNP Deputy Director for Operations, Cascolan aimed to make at least 1.2 million drug personalities surrender by January 2017.

Cascolan passed away on November 24, 2023 at the age of 59 due to pneumonia as a complication of stage 4 lung cancer.

Oscar Albayalde

Oscar Albayalde served as regional director of NCRPO from July 2016 to April 2018, then chief of the PNP from April 2018 to October 2019.

Albayalde said there were no official orders to kill suspects in the drug war.

“Wala kaming binigay na illegal order sa amin. Kung may naririnig po ang mga taumbayan kay dating Pangulong Digong sa TV, wala po kaming binababa na ganiyang kautusan sa ating kapulisan dahil alam po natin that we are law enforcers,” he said.

(We did not give any illegal orders. If the people heard something from former President Digong on TV, we did not issue such orders to the police force because we know that we are law enforcers.)

Albayalde said he is preparing for the possible arrest warrant from the ICC in connection with the war on drugs.

“Well, hintayin na lang po natin dahil lahat naman po 'yan ay pawang speculation as of this time,” Albayalde told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview in March 2025.

Senator Bong Go

Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go was Duterte's personal aide and special assistant from 1998 to 2016 and Duterte's special assistant and chief of the Presidential Managerial Staff from June 2016 to October 2018.

Go had flat out denied that there was a supposed "reward system" which allegedly reached as high as P1 million per kill in former president Rodrigo Duterte's war against illegal drugs.

"Nais kong klaruhin na walang reward system na iniimplementa noon kapalit ang buhay ng sinuman," Go said in a statement.

(I want to clarify that no reward system was implemented before in exchange for anyone's life.)

"The former President has stated clearly numerous times that his administration never sanctioned nor tolerated any form of senseless killings," he added.

He also denied claims that he was involved in handling the money for the supposed reward system in the drug war.

"Bilang Special Assistant of the President noon, I have no participation whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in the operational requirements of the war on drugs," the lawmaker said.

Dante Gierran

Dante Gierran served as Davao regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from 2013 to 2016, then NBI director from 2016 to 2020.

As Duterte's first NBI director, Gierran led the bureau from 2016 until he retired in February 2020, capping a 30-year career in the investigative agency.

Duterte in 2020 then tasked Gierran to lead the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as the state insurer faced allegations of corruption.

In 2016, confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) member Edgar Matobato reportedly claimed that he and Gierran worked together to kidnap and kill a person and fed the corpse to crocodiles.

Though he admitted to knowing Matobato, Gierran denied the accusation. "I perform my job with honesty, objectivity, and fairness," he said at the time.

Isidro Lapeña

Isidro Lapeña was Davao City Police chief from 1996 to 1998, then chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) from 2016 to 2017.

As a former PDEA director, Lapeña claimed success in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs during Duterte’s first year in office.

“The purpose of that inter-agency is to unify all the efforts of all agencies concerned and then integrate and synchronize lahat ng mga action, lahat ng mga strategies on anti-illegal drugs. And I would say that we are successful,” Lapeña said.

He said the success of the government’s anti-drug campaign contributes to the satisfaction and trust ratings of the President, which have remained high since he assumed office.

“The drug campaign is part of that rating. So I would like to say, and I am happy to report that while we have done so much, well so much more has to be done,” he said.

Vitaliano Aguirre II

Vitaliano Aguirre II was lawyer for Duterte and other members of the DDS, and was secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) from July 2016 to April 2018.

As DOJ secretary, Aguirre instructed the NBI to aid the PDEA in anti-narcotics operations in compliance with then President Duterte's new directive.

Aguirre had issued a department order "directing the NBI to resume its anti-illegal drugs operations," a day after Duterte brought back the PNP and other law enforcement agencies into the fold.

Others

Aside from the personalities mentioned, the ICC also included “other members of the PNP and high-ranking government officials.”

Counts of crimes

The DCC also listed the charges filed against Duterte, among which is being individually criminally responsible for crimes charged in Counts 1 to 3 as an indirect co-perpetrator.

Counts 1 to 3 are as follows, according to the DCC:

"a. Count 1: Murders in or around Davao City during the Mayoral period by the DDS;

b. Count 2: Murders of High-Value Targets during the Presidential period;

c. Count 3: Murders and attempted murders in barangay clearance operations during the Presidential period.”

"At least between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, DUTERTE and his coperpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralise’ alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder (“Common Plan”)," the DCC read.

According to the DCC, "DUTERTE ordered members of the DDS and the National Network, over whom he had authority as Mayor of Davao City and Head of the DDS, and later, President of the Philippines, to commit the crimes in Counts 1 to 3... One or more of these members carried out DUTERTE’s orders, which led to the commission of the crimes in Counts 1 to 3." 

GMA News Online contacted the camps of Go and dela Rosa, as well as Lapeña, Albayalde, Danao, and Aguirre, and will update this story when they issue statements. —KG, GMA Integrated News