Former Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes asserted that no new arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been released for any public official in the country.
“Don’t believe Pulong. There has been no ICC warrant that was released for anyone. If there were a warrant later on, I’m sure he would not know it like how his father did not know that there was a warrant against him,” Trillanes said in a Facebook post.
His remarks stemmed from the recent claim of Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte that an ICC warrant was already issued for Senator Bong Go and two former police officers on Wednesday, 17 June.
Duterte accused the current administration of weaponizing the international tribunal to silence critics in an effort to cover up for the prevalent issue of corruption in the country.
The lawmaker proceeded to warn politicians that were “turning a blind eye” to support the current administration that the same processes that were being used for the opposition would later be turned against them when they were no longer beneficial.
“History has taught us that there are no permanent allies in politics–only interests are permanent. And for the people, let us not let justice be an instrument for politicking. Law must be equal,” Pulong said in vernacular.
With rumors of the supposed warrant being swirled, Go stated that he would remain focused on performing his duty as a senator particularly in light of the various natural disasters that were affecting the country.
“I leave everything to God. In my entire life, I have never broken any human law or God’s law. Police matters have never been part of my mandate. I hope and pray that the issue regarding the alleged ICC warrant against me will not be politicized,” the senator said in a statement.
Meanwhile, officials from both the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have stated that it has not received any official communication from the ICC regarding a warrant.
As it stands, the only active warrant that was issued by the international tribunal to the country was for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa who was tagged as a co-conspirator in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Dela Rosa has been absent from the public eye since 14 May, last being seen attending sessions of the Senate being one of 13 senators that allowed for the election of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President.