Is President Duterte eyeing his former aide and now Senator Christopher Go as his possible successor?
The President heaped praises on Go for his hard work and described him as "Presidente" during a visit to Cagayan de Oro Friday, March 6.
Duterte and his former assistant were attending a government assembly on efforts to combat the communist threat in Misamis Oriental. Several other Cabinet members and local government officials were also present at the event.
"Presidente, kindly stand up again let’s see if it suits you well. Stand up again. Stand up and wave to the people," Duterte asked in Visayan his former assistant who was seated onstage for the event.
The senator stood up and waved to the audience as suggested by the President. "That’s too low, raise your hand higher," Duterte told his former assistant.
Duterte's latest remark about Go came a few months before candidates file their certificates of candidacies for the 2022 presidential elections.
In his remarks, the President commended Go for his tireless public service, particularly citing his assistance to victims of fire incidents.
"He’s very hardworking. You always read his name in the newspapers, don’t you? If there’s a fire somewhere, he’ll go there wherever it may be. Just look at his endless flights. By afternoon when I fly back to Manila, he’d be there too," he said.
"He graduated from La Salle Manila. He’s a Batangueño, on his father’s side. Just like my grandmother," he added.
According to Duterte, Go has been on his side for over two decades. "He was with me for 21 years. He was my… I started in 1988. With God’s grace, I never lost an election until I became the President," he added.
The senator has often accompanied the President in his engagements in and out of the Palace despite his work as a legislator.