Fact-Checking Senator Bong Go: Tsinelas

Senator Bong Go’s recent statement that former President Rodrigo Duterte was transported to The Hague “barefoot and without even some slippers” contrasts with available evidence.

A video posted on March 11, 2025, shows Duterte boarding a Gulfstream G550 jet at Villamor Air Base, accompanied by former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Philippine National Police officials. During this boarding, Duterte is seen wearing shoes.  Additionally, a photo released by his own camp from inside the aircraft depicts Duterte resting comfortably, still wearing shoes.

These visuals contradict the tearful Senator Go’s portrayal of Duterte’s condition during his transport to The Hague.

A Celebrity-Studded ICC Trial For Rodrigo Duterte!

Filipinos, once again, have turned a serious political spectacle into the country’s favorite pastime: making memes. 

With Rodrigo Duterte facing the ICC, netizens are having a field day imagining world celebrities and scholars issuing statements of support. “Breaking: Taylor Swift includes ‘EJKs Belong With Me’ in her next album,” one tweet reads. Another suggests that Duterte’s legal defense be led by TV lawyers like Annalise Keating and Harvey Specter—because if you’re going to argue before the ICC, might as well do it in style.

But let’s take it a step further! We, too, would like to submit an open petition: replace the ICC’s chief judge with the only person truly fit to handle this circus—Judge Judy. Just picture it: Duterte explaining himself while she cuts him off with her signature glare. “Baloney!” she’d say. The trial would be done in five minutes, and the memes? They’d last forever.

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