FEBRUARY 15, 2026 — Robin Padilla broke down after hearing that his Senate allies Bong Go and Bato dela Rosa were named by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as alleged indirect co-perpetrators in the bloody war on drugs. The actor-turned-senator admitted he cried, fearing he might be left alone in the chamber if warrants of arrest are issued.

The ICC’s dragnet is stacked with big names: Go, Dela Rosa, former police chiefs Vicente Danao, Camilo Cascolan, and Oscar Albayalde, ex-NBI chief Dante Gierran, former PDEA head Isidro Lapeña, and former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. These are the men who stood closest to Duterte’s campaign that drew global outrage for thousands of killings during police operations.

Go, Duterte’s longtime aide, was stunned. 

In a private exchange with Padilla, he apparently asked, “Bakit ako naidamay dito?”

(Why was I dragged into this?)

The disbelief is striking, especially for Filipinos who remember him vowing loyalty to Duterte — going so far as to say he was willing to go to jail with the former president just to take care of him. Now, the man who once promised to stand by Duterte in chains is questioning why he’s been dragged into the ICC spotlight.

Padilla, visibly shaken, said, “Naiyak po talaga ako … sino pang kasama ko sa Senado kapag itong dalawang to nabigyan pa ng warrant of ,edi ako na lang mag-isa.”

(I really cried … who will be left with me in the Senate if these two are issued warrants of arrest? I’ll be all alone.)

He added, “Hindi po ba depressing yun?”

(Isn’t that depressing?)

Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson called the development saddening, stressing that if warrants are issued, it will be up to the executive branch to decide whether to surrender Go and Dela Rosa — just as they would have to decide with Duterte himself. 

The bigger question now is whether the Philippines will cooperate or shield its political heavyweights. This is about whether justice will finally reach the powerful, or whether the country will once again look the other way.

Padilla’s ‘tears’ may be personal, but they also symbolize the cracks forming in Duterte’s once-solid circle. And now, with the ICC tightening its grip, we can’t help but wonder: Has loyalty to Duterte turned into the very chain pulling his allies down? Is that why some of them look like they’re ready to jump ship?

(Image: Senate of the Philippines | Facebook)