A total 40 out of the 81 governors in the country on Tuesday, Oct. 5 declared their support for the vice presidential bid of Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go.

In a resolution, the incumbent governors vowed to “campaign tirelessly for his election” in the 2022 vice presidential race.

Go has filed his candidacy for vice president, substituting for President Rodrigo Duterte as the official PDP-Laban nominee for the position.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone said the 40 governors represent only the initial batch of provincial executives who will back Go’s candidacy.

Among those who will back the incumbent senator is Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco, president of the Governors League of the Philippines.

It is not known whether the governors personally signed the resolution or merely expressed their decision through the Internet.

“As a long-time close aide to then Davao City mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Bong Go has gained wide and valuable insights on and has had to confront problems relating to both local and national governance,” the governors said in the resolution.

“Such experience has prepared him adequately for elective public office - as senator and hopefully as vice president. Having come from the ranks of local public servants, we have no doubt that Bong Go understands the issues we face 24/7 in our respective provinces,” they said.

` The governors also cited the Malasakit Centers in the country that Go pursued through legislative and executive backing. He is the principal author of Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.

“The senator from Mindanao has made affordable healthcare accessible to Filipinos through the Malasakit Center, which is a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance several government agencies allocate for the sick, who now have to go to just one office instead of laboriously seeking help from one agency to another,” the provincial leaders said.

At least 138 Malasakit Centers have already been established in public hospitals throughout the country.

“With our support, if he is elected vice president, Bong Go promises to continue President Duterte’s programs, particularly his campaign against illegal drugs, criminality and corruption. These are some of the problems we continue to face as local officials, despite the administration’s gains in stamping out such nefarious activities,” the governors stated.

They added: “Senator Go also promises to pursue the President’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program, which hastens economic development and provides jobs and incomes to our people in the country.”