Bong Go mum after being named as Duterte’s co-perpetrator in court

Senator Bong Go on Tuesday insisted that he will prioritize his work first, even after being mentioned by an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor as among the co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s in the alleged killings during his term as mayor of Davao City related to his controverial war on drugs.

“Hintayin muna natin matapos this week. No comment muna,” Go told Senate reporters in an ambush interview. 

(Let's wait for it to get finished first this week. No comment first.) 

“Antayin nalang natin matapos ‘yung confirmation hearing. Trabaho muna tayo. Unahin muna natin ang trabaho,” he added. 

(Let's wait until the confirmation hearing is over. Let's work first.) 

During the first day of Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing on Monday, ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls said Go served as Duterte’s aide, special assistant, and important adviser.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, meanwhile, was identified as the Davao City Police Office chief during the covered period. 

In the Document Containing the Charges (DCC) submitted by the prosecution and released by the ICC earlier this month, Go, dela Rosa, and others were named as co-perpetrators in the “common plan” to “neutralize alleged criminals” through “violent crimes including murder.”

Asked how he was feeling after the first hearing, Go said, “Subaybayan lang po natin. Basta trabaho lang muna ‘ko. Unahin ko ang trabaho ko, meron akong sinumpaang tungkulin bilang senador.”

(Let's just follow what is happening. I just have to work first. I have to put my work first, I have a sworn duty as a senator.) 

Go previously disputed the allegations against him as “entirely unfounded, one-sided, unfair, and bear no relation to the reality of [his] roles and responsibilities” during his stint as the Special Assistant to the President from June 2016 to October 2018, and as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Davao City from 1998 to 2016. —RF, GMA Integrated News