by Diego Morra
The most wicked liar is the one who denies and continues to deny his own public statements, sinking in the mephitic waters of his daily pablum that only fools would believe. This is the case of Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (as in CLTG Construction), who has parlayed his long internship with former mayor, former congressman and former president Rodrigo Duterte in crafting daily denials that clash with his own statements and disprove his previous claims.
Poor Bong Go, as his pompous declarations of innocence as to being the finance wizard for the “war on drugs” crash on the basis of statements made by Duterte himself, the perennially absent Sen. Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, his own gofer, several top police officers and, to cap it, Bong Go himself. Not to mention another mystery finance officer simply named Tricia, or Tricky Trickster, whom Bong Go mentions when talking about the inner sanctum of the Duterte coven. To refresh Bong Go’s memory, de la Rosa himself admitted that there was, indeed, a reward system for obedient cops who follow Duterte’s orders. Talagang namimigay si Duterte through Bong Go, de la Rosa stressed.
Now that this media-hogging senator and favorite of The Philippine Star and Daily Tribune has been formally tagged as co-conspirator in the murders of at least 6,200 Filipinos that the Philippine National Police reported were killed under the “tokhang war” implemented by de la Rosa when he was the first PNP chief appointed by Duterte. While the number of murders the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) listed in the charge sheet was reduced, the court has since allowed 500 more summary killings to be included. The inclusion of more cases against Duterte certainly worsens the case for the defense, which has relied on its legal theory that by questioning the authority of the court to try the case and squabbling about the composition of the panel of lawyers helping the kin of the victims, they could prolong the agony of those seeking justice.
So, when the OTP finally released the list of Duterte’s alleged co-conspirators, with him first among possible co-respondents, Bong Go went on overdrive, saying it was impossible for him to be accused of being privy to the murders, the payoffs and the funding of the operational of the secret Duterte Death Squad (DDS). Aside from Go and de la Rosa, the other co-conspirators named were former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, former PNP chief Camilo Cascola (who died in 2023), retired PNP general; Cesar Danao, former PNP chief Isidro Lapena, retired National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief David Gierran, and former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III. Aguirre was a fraternity brother of Duterte in San Beda College of Law while Go had the longest period of employment under Duterte, having served him from 1996 to 2016 in Davao City and from June 2016, when Duterte started vetting applicants for Cabinet positions, until October 2018, as special assistant to Duterte.
On Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, Bong Go, who absolutely has a high regard for himself despite his puny record as legislator, repeated ad nauseam that he has nothing to do with the reward system for policemen at Duterte’s bidding. Go has gone ballistic to prove he is lily-white despite his admission before Senate reporters in 2019 that: “Nabanggit niya (Duterte) na nandyan pa rin ‘yung reward na kanyang sinabi noon. P1 million sa mga ninja cops pag patay, ‘pag buhay kalahating milyon lang, ‘pag lumaban, P2 million.” Thus, the OTP will find it odd that Bong Go will deny his own untutored statement in 2019, when he stressed mightily that the rewards for the killings of “ninja cops” ranged from P1-million to P2-million. Those who failed to waste “erring” cops were still qualified to receive a reward of P500,000.
Being garrulous and addicted to media coverage, Bong Go was also keen on photobombing Duterte inasmuch as he acts as the Man Friday of Duterte from the time when he was mayor of Davao City. Duterte insiders admit that Go was the gatekeeper of Duterte, the man who carries his medicines and the one who keeps a tight lid on Duterte’s secrets and his harem of 13 paramours. No one gets close to the godfather without Go’s consent. Serving Duterte personally since 1996 could have rubbed off on Go what he thought were the virtues of the decidedly crass, gothic and crude Duterte. Better still, Go might have believed that the language and irrational behavior of his benefactor appealed to the people and gaining them through transference or contagion comprised his stairway to political heaven.
In his retort to the OTP report, Bong Go roared: “I dispute these allegations, which are entirely unfounded, one-sided, unfair, and bear no relation to the reality of my roles and responsibilities during my service as Special Assistant to the President from June 2016 to October 2018, as well as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Davao City from 1998 to 2016.” This denial naturally does not have any probative value and cannot impeach testimonies and documentary evidence that prove the cash trail and what was revealed as the desire of Bong Go to organize his own secret armed operatives for pretty much the same reason as Duterte established the DDS. Duterte insiders also noted that Bong Go was already Duterte’s Man Friday when commentator Jun Pala was murdered in 2003 and the money paid to the assassins were produced by a certain Tricia, a name mentioned by Bong Go when talking about Duterte’s affairs.
By issuing a blanket denial, Bong Go only teased a thorough assessment of his role in the overall campaign to eliminate drug kingpins, small-time pushers, users and perhaps even the competitors of big-time Chinese drug merchants said to be intricately associated with Duterte. Go hasn’t addressed narratives of the House Quad Committee witnesses who explained Go’s role in the tokhang reward system. Former PCSO General Manager Royina Garma testified before the committee that a “Davao model” was implemented nationwide, where police officers received rewards (ranging from P20,000 to P1 million) for killing drug suspects. She disclosed that police officers reported killings to her, which were then reported to Bong Go (then Special Assistant to the President) for inclusion in weekly reports to receive money. PNP Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido also confirmed a “quota and reward system,” stating that funds were funneled through Go’s office, with money sourced from POGOs, intelligence funds and illegal gambling. Worse of all, a Duterte interview confirmed that the detained ex-president promised rewards for the murders of “ninja” cops. #
