GO, AGUIRRE DENY ICC CO-PERPETRATOR ALLEGATIONS IN DUTERTE DRUG WAR

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II strongly denied being named as co-perpetrators alongside former President Rodrigo Duterte in the ICC’s probe into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Go emphasized he had no involvement, authority, or knowledge of extrajudicial killings, serving only in accordance with “the laws of man and God” while helping Filipinos, particularly the poor. Aguirre, who once acted as legal counsel for Duterte and other alleged Davao Death Squad members, stated he never participated in or supported killings and pointed out that the Philippines was not an ICC member at the time. Senator Robin Padilla expressed distress over the ICC disclosure but reached out to Go and Dela Rosa to offer support, coordinating with Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on next steps for the minority bloc. The ICC document also identified several other high-ranking police and government officials as part of the chain of command allegedly responsible for the drug war’s extrajudicial killings.