Bong Go: Don’t waste the gains of Duterte war on drugs

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has claimed that the House of Representatives’ probe into the Duterte administration’s drug war has “provided an avenue” to “twist facts to undermine the anti-drug campaign.”

Go, a former aide of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, also claimed that drug lords and other criminals could be emboldened following the House quad committee’s hearings on the alleged extrajudicial killings during the drug war.

“What I don’t want to happen is for the people to fear walking outside at night. Criminals and drug addicts should be afraid to walk outside at night and not ordinary Filipinos who only want to go home safe to their families. Let us not waste what former President Duterte had done,” Go said in Filipino in an ambush interview on Monday.

“Drug lords are now emboldened. If illegal drugs become rampant again, corruption in the government and criminality will come back,” he added.

Go also said Duterte’s achievements were evident in the support that the latter received from the masses during his State of the Nation Addresses (Sona).

“As you can recall, in his Sonas from 2016 up to 2021, all six Sonas, every time President Duterte mentioned the war on drugs, everyone clapped. There were standing ovations in the House and Senate because they felt the change promised by Duterte,” he said in Filipino.

But now, Go said he is disappointed because those who once stood “shoulder-to-shoulder with Duterte” have turned their backs on him.

“You judge if the Filipinos benefited from Duterte’s strong stance against illegal drugs during his presidency,” he added.

The senator also said he is “very much willing” to initiate a parallel Senate probe into the drug war if there is a need for it as it could shed light on the benefits of the campaign.

READ: Bong Go wants Senate to probe Duterte admin’s drug war