Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday insisted he doesn’t want to be part of any talks pertaining to the upcoming May 2022 national and local elections.
(Senator Christopher “Bong” Go official Facebook page / FILE PHOTO)
Go said he has no desire to run for president in the upcoming polls but has plans to finish his term as a senator.
“Serbisyo, serbisyo, serbisyo ang iniisip ko. Ang focus ko, mula noon hanggang ngayon, ay ang magserbisyo sa kapwa kong Pilipino. Please count me out sa usaping pulitika, (My focus is on service, service, service. My focus, since I started, is to serve fellow Filipinos. Please count me out from any political discussions),” Go said in a statement.
“Ako naman po, hanggang 2025 pa ang aking termino bilang senador. Bawat araw po na binigay niyo sa akin na pagkakataon na magserbisyo sa inyo ay hindi ko sasayangin (For my part, my term as a senator runs until 2025. I won’t waste the opportunity to serve each day of my term),” Go further said.
A known close ally of President Duterte, Go also urged political leaders and supporters from all sides to prioritize the welfare of the Filipino people rather than their own interests, especially at this time of a COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ang importante ngayon ay patuloy tayo na nagtutulungan para sa ikabubuti ng mga kababayan nating naghihirap dulot ng pandemya (What is important right now is for us to unite in helping our people having a hard time due to this pandemic),” he said.
“Dahil kung hindi natin malampasan ang krisis na ito, baka wala na tayong pulitika pang pag-uusapan pa (Because if we are unable to get past this crisis, we might not have anything to discuss about politics),” he pointed out.
Go also said that as chair of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), President Duterte can intervene if the members need guidance to resolve any issue concerning the party.
According to Go, Duterte has not yet spoken to Sen. Manny Pacquiao, president of the PDP-Laban but regularly engages with PDP vice chair Energy Secretary Al Cusi, being a Cabinet member who directly reports to him.
“PRRD is the chairman. He is the father of the party… Bilang tatay ng partido, dapat rin siyang mag-step in (As the father of the political party, he should also step in),” he said.
“Pero hindi lang silang tatlo. Hindi lang sila. Dapat buong Partido. Sayang naman kasi di ba? Para mapag-usapan kung anong makakabuti sa party (But it won’t just be the three of the. It should be the whole party. They need to talk about what must be best for the whole party),” Go pointed out.
Go reiterated that while everyone is entitled to their own opinion and preference, he would rather discuss and focus on plans to overcome the pandemic and other crisis situations instead.
“This is a democracy po. Kung anong gusto nila. Lahat naman po ay may karapatang tumakbo. Ang tanong na lang po sa publiko, (Everyone can run for public office, the only question to the public is) do you want continuity or change?” he asked.
“Pero sa ngayon (but for now), please count me out. ‘Wag niyo ko isali (don’t include me)… consider me last dahil hindi talaga ako interesado dyan (because I am really not interested on that matter),” he reiterated.