(UPDATE) THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it has yet to receive special instructions to track down persons said to be the target of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“As of this time, the PNP has not received any official communication, documentation or directive from any government agency regarding the alleged ICC warrants,” the agency’s chief, Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., said in a statement.
The statement was issued in response to a claim that Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte made in a social media post on Wednesday night that a “highly reliable source” had told him that the international tribunal issued a warrant to arrest Sen. Bong Go and two police officers.
The lawmaker did not identify the two police officers he claimed were subjects of arrest warrants but former PNP chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Vicente Danao have also been named by ICC prosecutors as alleged co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes against humanity case.
However, both Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said there has been no formal communication regarding the supposed ICC warrant.
“We rely on formal processes and verified information, not speculation or social media posts,” Nartatez said.
“The PNP will perform its mandate in accordance with the Constitution, existing laws and established procedures. We will neither preempt the process nor neglect our responsibilities,” he added.
Go, along with several others including Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, have been identified by the ICC as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case against the former president who is now detained at The Hague, Netherlands, awaiting trial. Dela Rosa, who led the antidrug campaign during the Duterte administration as national police chief, is in hiding to evade arrest.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV urged the public not to believe Duterte’s claims.
“Don’t believe Pulong,” Trillanes said, referring to Paolo Duterte by his nickname. “There is still no ICC warrant issued for anyone. If one does come out later on, he definitely won’t know about it — just like his father didn’t know there was already a warrant for him,” Trillanes said in a Facebook post in Filipino.
Go expressed confidence in his innocence, saying that he has not violated any law and has merely carried out his duties in accordance with the law and his responsibilities as a public servant.
In a statement issued to The Manila Times, Go said he is placing his trust in God amid the controversy and remains firm in his belief that he has committed no wrongdoing.
The senator reiterated that he has always acted within the bounds of the law and has nothing to hide.
He also denied having any involvement in police operations or law enforcement activities, emphasizing that such matters were never part of his official functions under the Duterte administration, where he served as the president’s special assistant and headed the Presidential Management Staff.
“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. Please count on me to continue serving, because that is what our fellow Filipinos need right now,” he said.
