Philippine DOJ Says It Received No ICC Arrest Warrant for Senator Bong Go

The Department of Justice said on June 18 that it had not received any arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court against Senator Christopher Bong Go. DOJ spokesperson Prosecutor Rafael Martinez confirmed the absence of any official communication from the ICC after checking with the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime as of 10 a.m. that day.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government also stated it had received no formal notice of a warrant. An unnamed source told Rappler that no warrant against Go had been issued. Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte had said a highly reliable source informed him that ICC arrest warrants against Go and two former police officers had already been issued.

He added that the administration was using the ICC as a political weapon against its opponents. Malacañang rejected those claims. Palace press officer Claire Castro said the ICC process was not being weaponized and that accountability was required if citizens demanded it.

Senator Bong Go stated he was leaving his fate to God and maintained he had never violated any law. Go and Senator Ronald dela Rosa are among eight individuals the ICC named as co-perpetrators in its case against former president Rodrigo Duterte over the war on drugs. Human rights groups estimate 30,000 deaths resulted from that campaign.

Duterte has been detained in The Hague since March 2025. Go won a Senate seat in 2019 after serving as Duterte's aide since 1998.