Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Thursday, Aug. 26 clarified that he is not privy to any political plans of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, saying both father and daughter are the ones discussing politics.
“Unang-una, nais kong klaruhin na silang mag-ama ang nag-uusap tungkol sa pulitika. Kung ano ang usapan nilang magtatay, nasa sa kanila na po iyon (First of all, I would like to clarify that both father and daughter are the ones talking about politics. Whatever they have decided upon, it is up to them),” Go said.
“Pero tulad ng sinabi ko noon, anuman ang magiging desisyon nila, susuportahan ko (But as I’ve said before, I will support whatever their decision would be),” he said.
Go made the remark after the mayor outed him and the President of their real intention to run in tandem in the upcoming May 2022 national and local elections.
The senator reiterated he is in good terms with Duterte’s daughter and will stick with the family for the rest of his life.
“Nagkakausap naman kami ni Mayor Sara. Wala kaming isyu sa isa’t isa. Kung anong pagmamahal ko sa tatay, ganun din po ang pagmamahal ko sa mga anak. Alam ni Pangulong Duterte ‘yan (Mayor Sara and I are talking. We have no issues with each other. I love the children the same way I love their father. President Duterte knows that),” Go stressed.
“Nangako ako sa kanya na sasamahan ko siya habangbuhay. At isa sa mga ipinagbilin niya sa akin ay huwag kong pababayaan ang mga anak niya kung wala na siya sa mundong ito (I promised him that I will be with him for life. And he has asked me to take care of his children once he passes away),” he said.
Nevertheless, Go said he is thankful for the endorsement of his partymates in the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and considering him and the President as the party’s standard bearers in next year’s polls, but he has not changed his mind.
“Ngunit hindi pa rin nagbabago ang isip ko. Hindi talaga ako interesado (I haven’t changed my mind. I am not really interested),” he said.
“Unahin niyo na lang ang mga may gusto talagang tumakbo bilang Pangulo. Kung ako tatanungin ninyo, mas gugustuhin ko na ako’y tahimik na nagseserbisyo para sa kabutihan ng kapwa kong Pilipino bilang inyong Senador (Please prioritize those who really wants to run for President. If you ask me, I prefer to serve for the Filipinos quietly),” he added.
In an online press briefing, Melvin Matibag, PDP-Laban secretary general said they will give Go much leeway to decide on his nomination.
“We’ll give him much leeway that he needed. We chose him because we trust and believe in his leadership qualities, he has traits that he share with PRRD (Duterte). So that’s the reason why we in PDP-Laban are eager to pursue a Go-Duterte tandem. We look at the track record also,” Matibag said.
“I hope that by September 8, we can formally announce them, but we will respect the decision of Sen. Go. It’s a major decision and he is at a crossroads right now. So, we are praying for his decision. We will respect it. But we are looking forward to a Go-Duterte tandem,” the official said.