ICC’s arrest warrant vs. Digong an infringement on Phl — Bong Go

Senator Bong Go sees the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo Duterte as an infringement to the country's right to manage its own internal matters.

“The issuance of the warrant of arrest by the ICC is an affront to the sovereignty of the Philippines,” Go said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

“As I have reiterated before, the ICC should not interfere with our domestic affairs. And that is because, aside from the fact that we are no longer a member of the ICC, our domestic courts remain fully operational and independent,” he added.

Go hinted that Duterte's camp would be seeking appropriate legal remedies from the Supreme Court.

“We leave it up to the lawyers of FPRRD to file the appropriate legal remedies in the Supreme Court,” he said.

He then recalled that cases have already been filed against Duterte’s drug war.

“Katunayan, merong mga kasong naisampa na. May mga imbestigasyong isinagawa din ang Executive at Kongreso. Sabi nga ng dating pangulo, handa naman siyang harapin ang anumang asunto laban sa kanya basta kapwa niya Pilipino ang maghuhusga sa kanya (Indeed, there are cases that have already been filed. Investigations have also been conducted by the Executive and Congress. As the former president said, he is ready to face any charges against him as long as his fellow Filipinos are the ones who will judge him),” Go said.

The senator also conveyed his loyalty to the former President.

“At bilang matagal na nanilbihan sa dating pangulo, ipinangako ko sa kanya na hinding-hindi ko siya pababayaan, lalo na pagdating sa kanyang kalusugan (And as someone who has served the former president for a long time, I promised him that I would never abandon him, especially when it comes to his health),” Go said.

He then lamented that Duterte is facing health challenges due to his age, including issues related to diabetes, and he is being advised to go to the hospital to address these concerns.

“In fact, he was supposedly scheduled for admission to the hospital tomorrow, March 12. Also, as of 3 pm today, his glucose level shot up and he was again advised admission by his doctor to avoid acute diabetes complications,” he said.

Go urged the authorities to take the former President's health condition into consideration.

“Umaapela ako sa awtoridad na pangalagaan ang kanyang katayuan, unahin ang kanyang kalusugan, at ipagdasal natin ang kanyang kaligtasan. Constitutional right naman po yan ng bawat Pilipino to get proper medical attention when needed ("I appeal to the authorities to take care of his condition, prioritize his health, and let us pray for his safety. It is a constitutional right of every Filipino to receive proper medical attention when needed),” he said.

He then lamented that Duterte was only doing his job when he was accused of violating human rights for pushing an anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“Ginawa ni dating Pangulong Duterte ang trabaho niya para sa kabutihan ng bansa at ng ating mga anak. Ang mga kababayan lamang natin ang dapat humusga kung naging maayos at epektibo ba ang kampanya laban sa iligal na droga. Sila ang mas nakakaalam kung ligtas sila noon na nakakauwi sa kanilang pamilya na hindi nasasaktan at kung hindi nababastos ang kanilang mga anak ng mga adik at ibang kriminal, lalo na sa gabi (Former President Duterte did his job for the good of the country and for the sake of our children. It is only our fellow Filipinos who should judge whether the campaign against illegal drugs was successful and effective. They are the ones who know best if they felt safe going home to their families without being harmed and if their children were not disrespected by addicts and other criminals, especially at night),” Go said.

“Long gone were the days when foreigners had to dictate how we run our internal affairs. Filipinos should be judged by fellow Filipinos before the Philippine courts operating under Philippine laws,” he added.