Tovic Salvador

Why Vitaliano Aguirre, Bong Go were named 'co-perpetrators' in ICC case - Conti

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dSzLiCMH7p0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Why were Sen. Bong Go and ex-justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II named as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes of humanity case before the International Criminal Court?</p><p>According to Atty. Kristina Conti, the eight co-perpetrators had a &quot;common plan&quot; to neutralize alleged criminals in the Philippines, according to the ICC</p><p>“‘Yan ang best na term - kasabwat, kasapakat, kakuntsaba. Itong mga taong ito ang naging bahagi kung bakit naging ‘effective’ or successful ‘yung patayan,” she told DZMM.</p><p>She said the common plan in the war on drugs was not discussed like in a board meeting but orders given to each individual. “Yan ay paisa-isa na ‘utusan mo ito, utusan mo ito’. May patsi-patsi na instructions o may grupo-grupo na ito ang task…Sabi sa sakdal, itong mga taong ito ay naging involved doon sa ‘common plan’ at one point or at all points during the period covered,” she said.</p><p>The eight co-perpetrators named by the ICC prosecution are:</p><ol><li>Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa</li><li>Senator Bong Go</li><li>Former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II</li><li>Former police chief Oscar Albayalde</li><li>Former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Dante Gierran</li><li>Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña</li><li>Former police chief Vicente Danao</li><li>The late former police chief Camilo Cascolan</li></ol><p>Go and Aguirre have both denied any involvement in thousands of extrajudicial killings during the war on drugs.</p><p>Go earlier denied that the previous administration employed a &quot;reward system&quot; in its drug war, saying he had nothing to do with the controversial anti-narcotics campaign.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kw0Ey0hr9m0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OgULo2pUHEs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>&quot;Alam ng aking mga kababayan na ginawa ko lang ang aking trabaho na naaayon sa batas ng tao at batas ng Diyos upang matulungan ang aking mga kapwa Pilipino, lalo na ang mga mahihirap at walang ibang malalapitan kundi ang gobyerno,&quot; said Go.</p><p>Aguirre, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/14/vitaliano-aguirre-i-never-conspired-in-any-extrajudicial-killings-2312">denied</a> conspiring in any drug war deaths and said he may have been linked to Duterte&#x27;s case as he served as the legal counsel of Duterte and other suspected members of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) in 2009.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vqxpfB_RIE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>“I was just exercising my profession as a lawyer and nothing is wrong with that. I never conspired or participated in any extrajudicial killings. Besides, at that time, the Philippines was not yet a member of the ICC,&quot; he said.</p><p>Conti noted that Aguirre’s involvement in the drug war killings was detailed in the ICC pre-confirmation brief.</p><p>“‘Yung role ni Aguirre ay nakalatag na mula pa nung DDS alam na niya, meron siyang suggestion kung paano pauunla rin o gagawing effective ‘yung plano and then saka siya naging Secretary of Justice,” she said.</p><p>“Hindi po siya kinakasuhan or mali nga yung term pala, sorry. Hindi po siya kinikwento dito na parang na-involve siya dahil Secretary of Justice lamang. Yung importanteng bahagi niya or role doon sa DDS, Davao Death Squad operations ay crucial din. Kaya hindi uubra in the sense na kung sa publiko siya magsasalita at magsusumamo, okay. Ano ngayon? Kailangan po sa ICC. ‘yung prosecutor ang paniwalain niya na wala siyang kasalanan.&quot; </p><p>In the case of Go, she said the ICC prosecution accused the senator of being part of the reward system in the war on drugs.</p><p>“Yung participation ng mga ito, in various ways tumutulong sila na i-facilitate ang reward system. ‘Yung iba naman para siguraduhin, ito importante ito, para siguraduhing walang managot…’yung statements nila ginawang effective ‘yung common plan na sinasabi,” she said.</p><p>Conti said that according to the prosecution, taking the defense that the co-perpetrators were merely “following orders” does not hold water because the orders were illegal.</p><p>“Ang utos, patayin mo. At ito quote from Sen. Bato [dela Rosa]. ‘’Patayin mo. Kung nanlaban, patayin mo. Kung hindi Manlalaban, siguraduhin mong nanlaban. Bigyan mo ng barIl.’</p><p>“Narining natin ‘yan at mukhang na-document ang statements na yan noon kaya hawak na ito ng ICC ngayon. ‘Yung ganoong statements kasi nagsasabi na wala kang lusot. Kung ikaw ay napaghinalaan at napunta sa drug list, patay at patay ka kahit anong mangyari.’ Gagawan ng paraan para mag-figure in ka sa isang drug operation. At yun ang nangyari, yun pa yung problema.”</p><p>The heads of the NBI, PDEA and DOJ were also included as co-perpetrators because they covered up the crime” instead of investigating the killings, Conti said.</p><p>“Itong tatlong ito ang dapat kumilos doon sa report ng malawakang patayan. Pero hindi nila ginawa ‘yan at bagkus, kinover up pa,” she said.</p><p>She noted authorities investigated the killings as isolated incidents instead of being part of a pattern.</p><p>Conti said she expects the ICC to issue warrants against any or all of the co-perpetrators included in the list.</p><p>“May konting kaibahan lang sa proseso pero ako I would say the Philippine government can do as it did during the time of Duterte, arrest and surrender,” she said.</p>

<p>Why were Sen. Bong Go and ex-justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II named as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes of humanity case before the International Criminal Court?</p>

Why were Sen. Bong Go and ex-justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II named as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes of humanity case before the International Criminal Court?