Senator Christopher "Bong" Go said on Wednesday, February 7, that there is no warrant of arrest against former President Rodrigo Duterte concerning his previous "war on drugs" campaign.
This comes after Duterte's former spokesperson, Harry Roque, said that Duterte called him on the night of Feb. 2 to tell him he received information about his impending arrest and that he could be arrested anytime.
Go, however, said the warrant of arrest is a mere speculation as the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation inside the country is forbidden.
"Wala naman ganoon. Maybe parang speculation lang nila iyon na maaari nakapasok na raw... iba't-ibang kuwneto," the senator said.
"Anyway, ang atin lang rito ay nagsalita na si Dating Pangulong Duterte, ang sabi niya noon ay wala naman jurisdiction ang ICC," he added.
Go cited that President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. had uttered that his administration would not cooperate with the ICC once it entered the country.
"Nagsalita rin ang kasalukuyang Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na he will not cooperate kung pupunta sila rito... Kung walang mag-cocooperate ay huwag muna tayong maniwala, wala ring jurisdiction," he noted.
"Sino ang mag-aresto? Kaya ba ng ICC na mag-aresto? Sila ba ay pupuntahan siya sa Davao? Makapasok ba sila sa bahay ni Dating Pangulong Duterte?" Go added.
Meanwhile, the senator said that Duterte will allow proceedings against him if the warrant of arrest comes from the national government.
"Huwag kayong agad maniniwala sa speculation, sa naririnig ninyo. I'm sure meron naman tayong legal process. Gaya ng sabi ni Dating Pangulong Duterte, kung meron maglilitis sa kanya, papayag siya kung yung ating judicial system, local, Philippine court."
Go, who once served as special assistant to Duterte, said the latter only did his job as president when he was in office.
"Ginawa lang niya ang kanyang trabaho bilang Pangulo noong President siya. Kayo na ang humusga kung may nagbago ba sa buhay ninyo," he stressed.
It can be recalled that on November 28, 2023, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution urging Marcos to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the alleged crimes and human rights violations during the war on drugs campaign.
Meanwhile, the president rejected the call, saying that the Philippine government “will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts.”
The Philippine National Police said on Wednesday, Feb. 7, that it would not enforce any arrest warrant that would be issued by the ICC against Duterte as directed by Marcos.
