Bong Go asserts ICC has no jurisdiction over Phl

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, 7 February, dismissed rumors of a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former president Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity.

Go emphasized that he had not heard or seen any official confirmation of the warrant and asserted that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines, which withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019.

He further highlighted that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had already declared numerous times that the government would not cooperate with the ICC, which meant that local law enforcement agencies would not recognize nor assist ICC in their investigations.

"Paano nila aarestuhin kung wala namang coordination with local authorities? Pwede ba ‘yun? Paano mo aarestuhin? Sabi nga ni dating pangulong Duterte, hanapin n’yo s’ya sa Davao (City). Paano n’yo siya maaresto dun without the cooperation of law enforcement agencies?" Go said.

The senator maintained that Duterte was unfazed by the ICC warrant. He reiterated his belief and trust in President Marcos' statement that the Philippine government would not recognize the ICC and noted that the current President and former president Duterte both maintained that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the country.

"So kung walang jurisdiction at walang cooperation na gagawin, paano nila arestuhin? Papasok ka dito, aarestuhin mo, former president, sa Davao (City), without coordination, without cooperation, e di magulo ‘yun," Go said.

Meanwhile, Go also denied the allegations that he was involved in any illegal activities with Duterte, particularly in alleged extrajudicial killings. He asserted that these were old and fabricated issues or ‘fake news’ and that he never received any illegal order from Duterte. He also emphasized that he will never follow any order from anyone if it is illegal.

"Hindi po ako sumusunod ng any illegal order… lalo ngayon na senator po ako. Hindi siya nagbibigay kahit noon pa man ng any illegal order sa akin. Kung meron man po magbibigay ng illegal order sa akin, ‘di ako susunod kahit anong illegal order," Go said.

Go also reflected on the principles advocated by former president Duterte regarding national development. "At gusto ko rin pong banggitin sa inyo, during the time of (former) president Duterte, ang parati niyang bilin, sabi niya, dapat lahat pantay-pantay. Kahit taga-Mindanao tayo dapat lahat ng proyekto, pantay-pantay. May proyekto sa Luzon, may proyekto sa Visayas, may proyekto sa Mindanao at walang maiiwan dahil tayo pong lahat ay Pilipino," Go shared.

The senator underscored a vision for the Philippines where progress and opportunities are not concentrated in specific areas but are accessible to all Filipinos, regardless of their geographic location.

Go also disclosed that he met with Duterte last weekend in Davao City, after he attended a Senate hearing on the alleged buying of signatures for the People's Initiative (PI), a campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution. He expressed that Duterte opposed the current PI, which he believed was rushed and flawed.

"Kontra po siya the way it was conducted. The process ng pagka-conduct nitong PI, masyadong minadali at naniniwala siya na hindi po tama ang pagkakagawa nito,” said Go.

"Sapilitan. ‘Yung iba nga, hindi alam ang pinipirmahan. At I heard him saying, sabi niya ‘Drop that People’s Initiative and maybe magiging maayos ang lahat, magiging peaceful,’" he added.

Go mentioned that Duterte was also invited by a religious group led by Greco Belgica, a former commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and his father, Butch Belgica, a former Manila councilor and pastor, to a prayer rally or gathering for unification. He noted that Duterte was open to the idea.