ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bong Go calls for prayers as Duterte faces ICC confirmation hearing

Bong Go calls for prayers as Duterte faces ICC confirmation hearing

Published Feb 23, 2026 01:18 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Christopher "Bong" Go on Monday, February 23 called for prayers as he expressed his support for former president Rodrigo Duterte as the latter is set to face the confirmation of charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go (Photo from OS Bong Go)
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go (Photo from OS Bong Go)

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Monday, February 23 called for prayers as he expressed his support for former president Rodrigo Duterte as the latter is set to face the confirmation of charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“Sa nakatakdang confirmation hearing ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa International Criminal Court, taimtim kong dalangin ang kanyang lakas ng loob, kapanatagan ng isip, at mabuting kalusugan (In the scheduled confirmation hearing of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court, I sincerely pray for his courage, peace of mind, and good health),” Go said in his post on Facebook.

“Nawa’y ipagkaloob ng Panginoon ang karunungan at gabay sa kanyang legal team upang buong husay na maipagtanggol si Tatay Digong. Hinihiling ko rin sa Diyos ang patuloy na tibay ng loob at pagkakaisa ng kanyang pamilya sa harap ng pagsubok na ito (May the Lord grant wisdom and guidance to his legal team to defend Tatay Digong ably. I also pray to God for the continued courage and unity of his family in the face of this trial),” he said. 

Go, who is also one of the individuals identified by the ICC as co-perpetrators in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, called on his supporters to trust the legal process and to remain calm.

“Nananawagan ako sa ating mga kababayan na manatiling mahinahon, magtiwala sa proseso ng batas, at huwag mawalan ng pag-asa. Sa huli, ang ating pagkakaisa at pananampalataya ang magbubukas ng daan upang masilayan natin ang tunay na katotohanan (I call on our countrymen to remain calm, trust in the legal process, and not lose hope. Ultimately, our unity and faith will pave the way for us to glimpse the real truth),” he stressed.

The former Special Assistant to the President, also called on supporters to pray for Duterte’s eventual release from the ICC.

“Ipagdasal po natin ang kalusugan, kaligtasan, at kalayaan ni Tatay Digong (Let us pray for the health, safety, and freedom of Tatay Digong),” he said. 

The confirmation of charges hearing has been scheduled to start on February 23 at 5 p.m. (Philippine time) to Feb. 27 in the Hague. Duterte is currently facing crimes against humanity case over the controversial anti-illegal drug campaign of his administration. 

Related Tags

Bong Go ICC DUTERTE
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.