Malacañang on Monday rejected Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) claims that the inclusion of Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in the International Criminal Court (ICC) drug war case was meant to divert public attention from other pressing national issues, including allegations of corruption.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the ICC proceedings began long before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assumed office, stressing that the case cannot be used to implicate the current administration in any supposed diversionary tactic.
“Hindi ito diversion dahil matagal na po ang kasong ito na nakasampa sa ICC. Hindi pa nga po pangulo si Pangulong Marcos Jr. ay naisampa na ito,’ Castro said.
Castro emphasized that the government has no influence over the ICC’s actions and proceedings.
“Hindi po dapat ipahid sa ating Pangulo at sa gobyernong ito kung nagkaroon man po ng findings patungkol dyan ang ICC dahil wala naman pong impluwensya ang ating gobyerno sa International Criminal Court,” she added.
The Palace official also cited earlier statements made by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who reportedly disclosed the existence of a report on alleged irregularities in anti-drug operations, including extrajudicial killings (EJKs), even before the current administration took office.
“Kung sasabihin nila na diversion, una-una, uulitin ko po ulit, mismong si Mayor Magalong ang nagsabing meron siyang report patungkol dito at siya mismo ang naggalit sa mga generals habang sila ay may command conference. So even before, meron ng findings na mali ang ginawa sa EJK. So mas maganda po bilang kayo'y taga-media, hanapin niyo po kay Mayor Magalong yung nasabi niyang report,” Castro said.
Earlier, the ICC identified Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, along with other high-ranking officials of the previous administration, as alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte in connection with the government’s anti-drug campaign.
Their names appeared in a lesser redacted version of the Document Containing Charges (DCC) submitted by the Office of the Prosecutor dated February 13, 2026. The document was originally published on July 4, 2025.
The confirmation of charges against Duterte is scheduled for February 23. He is currently under ICC custody after being arrested in March 2025 over alleged crimes against humanity committed during his tenure as mayor and later as president.
Meanwhile, the PDP-Laban over the weekend accused the Marcos administration of enabling what it described as a derogation of Philippine sovereignty and attempting to divert attention from a supposed massive corruption scandal by including Senators Dela Rosa and Go as co-perpetrators in Duterte’s ICC case.
