Bong Go says Duterte co-perpetrator tag 'unfounded, unfair'

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday slammed the recently released document by the International Criminal Court (ICC), submitted by the prosecution, in which he was named as among the co-perpetrators of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC in connection with the thousands of deaths under his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and president of the Philippines.

In a statement, Go said he had recently been made aware of the allegations referenced in the redacted version of the Document Containing the Charges issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) from the Office of the Prosecutor on February 13, 2026.

“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,” Go said.

“Let me be clear, at no time did I have any involvement in, knowledge of, or authority over these allegations,” the senator said.

Go said it was also “inaccurate to claim that I was Chief of the Presidential Management Staff then since at no point in time did that responsibility fall under mine.”

Apart from Go, also named co-perpetrators are Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and other former high-ranking government and police officials during the previous administration.

“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,” Go said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News