MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has flatly dismissed spreading rumors regarding the active legal status of a prominent lawmaker. Trillanes refuted claims made by Davao City Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has officially released a warrant of arrest against Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.
Trillanes, who was the first to accurately break the news regarding previous ICC warrants against high-ranking officials, took to social media to caution the public against the unverified announcement.
The political back-and-forth escalated after Representative Duterte claimed on Wednesday night that a “highly reliable source” confirmed an ICC warrant was out for Go and two retired police generals. Trillanes firmly rebuffed the statement:
[ THE ICC ARREST WARRANT REALITY CHECK ]
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[ TRILLANES' DISAVOWAL ] [ THE SECURITY APPARATUS DENIAL ]
• **No Active Order:** *“Don't believe Pulong. No ICC warrant has • **Zero Formal Notice:** The Department of the Interior and Local
come out for anyone yet,”* Trillanes clarified in a social media • Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated
post written in Filipino. • they have received no official papers regarding Senator Go.
• **The Information Loop:** *“Should a warrant indeed come out later,• **The Enforcement Channel:** The Philippine Center on Transnational
he definitely won't know about it, just like when his father didn't• Crime—the local entity tasked to process such orders—confirmed
know that he had a warrant.”* • its logs remain clear of any incoming ICC documents.
The executive branch offered an even sharper critique of the rumor. In a media briefing at Camp Crame, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla bluntly remarked that the Davao City congressman “may have been high (‘sabog’) when he heard that because we do not see anything like that,” warning that spreading unverified judicial claims remains highly dangerous.
While state departments have found no active warrant for Go, the administration clarified that the official pushback does not mean upcoming legal actions are off the table. The current layout of the ICC’s high-profile drug war investigation outlines a distinct division between verified tracking and ongoing probes:
[ THE DRUG WAR LEGAL TRACK: TRACKING VS. PROBES ]
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[ VERIFIED AND UNSEALED ORDERS ] [ PENDING INVESTIGATIONS ]
• **Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte:** Formally arrested and flown to • **Senator Bong Go:** Named by prosecutors as an alleged
The Hague in March 2025 on multiple counts of crimes against • "co-perpetrator" due to his supposed administrative role
humanity, murder, and attempted murder. • in managing rewards during the drug war campaign.
• **Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa:** An unsealed November 2025 • **Retired Police Generals:** Former PNP chiefs Oscar Albayalde
warrant triggered his disappearance. He went into hiding on May • and Vicente Danao Jr. remain under active radar as alleged
14, 2024, after fleeing Senate protective custody. • de facto authorities over the executing units.
Senator Go broke his silence on the matter Thursday, attempting to de-escalate the political noise while maintaining his innocence. In a formal statement, Go rejected any direct connection to police operations conducted during the previous administration:
“I will just leave everything to God. In my entire life, I have never broken any human law or God’s law. Police matters have never been part of my mandate. I hope and pray that the supposed ICC warrant isn’t politicized against me.”
Malacañang has maintained a neutral position, refusing to confirm or deny potential back-channel developments from the Hague. However, Palace press officer Claire Castro strongly rejected claims from the Duterte camp that the Marcos administration is actively weaponizing international courts, emphasizing that independent judicial bodies operate completely outside the influence of local political dynamics.