Go thanks Duterte for victory

MANILA, Philippines — Re-elected Sen. Bong Go attributed his top finish in the Senate race to former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is awaiting trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

“This is historic, so far the highest vote for a senator. It’s overwhelming and humbling for me. My win is also Tatay Digong’s win,” said Go, a long-time Duterte aide who may also face arrest by the International Criminal Court for his alleged direct role in the drug war killings.

Go finished first place in the Senate race, garnering 27,121,073 votes based on the Commission on Elections’ officially canvassed results.

Go called Duterte their team’s “biggest endorser” and “campaign manager” until his arrest last March.

Pundits say Go and two other Duterte allies – Ronald dela Rosa and Rodante Marcoleta – benefitted from the controversy triggered by the arrest of Duterte and his flight to The Hague.

Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former national police chief, is said to be the next to be ordered arrested as chief implementor of Duterte’s drug war.

The brutal crackdown resulted in the deaths of over 6,200 mostly poor drug suspects based on police data, but rights groups say the death toll could reach up to 30,000.

Kristina Conti, ICC assistant to counsel, said in a Facebook post that Dela Rosa may soon receive summons or an arrest warrant from the ICC for his role in the drug war.

As for Go, Conti said he may be implicated in the ICC investigation for allegedly disbursing reward money as revealed in a congressional investigation, an accusation Go denied.

Go, who started serving Duterte as his personal aide in the Davao city hall in 1998, recalled that he started carrying out errands for the longtime mayor, known as “The Punisher.”

“When he was mayor, we spent time going around Davao City, even going up the mountains,” Go said.

An ever loyal lieutenant, Go in 2016 served Duterte as Special Assistant to the President, until he was elected for his first term in the Senate in 2019.

“If not for him, I would not be in public service. Tatay Digong has been my mentor in serving the Filipino people,” Go said, as he urged their supporters to pray for Duterte’s health while he is awaiting trial in the Scheveningen prison.

He reiterated that Duterte should be tried in domestic courts, adding that sending the former president to The Hague is a breach of sovereignty.

“He is 80 years old. Please pray for his safety and health. Let us not stop until we bring him home,” Go said.

“Let’s buckle down to work and not waste time, now that the election is done,” he added.

Global campaign

Vice President Sara Duterte, meanwhile, said yesterday supporters of the former president in several countries are preparing to launch a global campaign for his return to the Philippines.

“I will not have birthday celebration for this year. Everything is for the ICC case. We have a series of ‘ICC send him (Duterte) home’ rallies in different countries. We are just getting the permits from the local government where the rallies will be held,” the Vice President said. — Bella Cariaso