Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday issued a firm denial of any involvement in the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs” after he was officially named as a “co-perpetrator” in documents released by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The senator’s statement follows the publication of the ICC Prosecution’s “Document Containing the Charges” against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The document identifies Go, alongside Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and several former top officials, as key figures in a “common plan” to eliminate drug suspects through a state-sanctioned campaign.
Go dismissed the allegations as “entirely unfounded, one-sided, and unfair,” asserting that the claims bear no relation to his actual duties during his tenure as Special Assistant to the President (2016–2018) or his long-time service as an aide to Duterte in Davao City.
“Let me be clear: at no time did I have any involvement in, knowledge of, or authority over these allegations,” Go said. “It is also inaccurate to claim that I was Chief of the Presidential Management Staff, as that responsibility never fell under mine.”
The ICC documents implicate Go as part of a high-level circle that allegedly overseen the reward and quota systems used to incentivize police killings—a claim bolstered by the recent affidavit of retired police colonel Royina Garma.
Garma previously told the House Quad Committee that Go and Duterte orchestrated a cash reward system for the “neutralization” of drug personalities.
Despite these testimonies, Go maintained his innocence, stating that his work has always been “in accordance with the laws of man and God” to help the poor and marginalized.
The naming of Go as a co-conspirator comes as the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber prepares for a confirmation of charges hearing from February 23 to 27, 2026, in The Hague.
Former President Duterte remains in custody in the Netherlands following his arrest in March 2025.
Other officials named in the ICC document include former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and former PNP chiefs Oscar Albayalde and the late Camilo Cascolan.
The prosecution argues these individuals were instrumental in ensuring impunity for those carrying out the killings.