Mayors endorse Go’s Senate run
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has joined the clamor for President Rodrigo Duterte’s top aide, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, to run for senator in next year’s mid-term elections.
MAYORS FOR GO President Rodrigo Duterte (seated center, first row) is photographed with officials of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines and other government executives. The group issued resolution on Tuesday ‘strongly urging’ Special Assistant to the President Christopher ‘Bong’ Go (seated extreme right, first row) to run for the Senate in 2019, during the league’s Visayas Island Cluster Conference in Cebu City on Tuesday. MALACAÑANG PHOTO
The LMP, composed of municipal mayors all over the country, issued a resolution declaring the group’s “unequivocal support” for Go’s candidacy.
“The Filipino people are in need of public servants with high competence, integrity, sincerity, and of known probity to serve and lead this country,” the group said in its resolution, which it approved during the Mindanao Island Cluster Conference in Davao City on July 13 and the Visayas Island Cluster Conference in Cebu City on August 21.
LMP President and Soccoro, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Ma. Fe Brondial said the group believed Go “has all the qualities and qualifications that will make him an effective senator.”
“His sincerity, integrity, and competence are qualities that SAP Go has shown in all his years of service to the public both in his official and private capacity,” Brondial said in a statement.
Go will be “an effective voice of President Duterte in the Senate as he shares the vision and goals of PRRD (President Duetrte) for the country,” she added.
Brondial’s statement was echoed by LMP Secretary General Abraham Burahan, the mayor of Hadji Panglima Tahil, Sulu, who said that the group supported the President’s top aide “as a whole.”
“No one from LMP opposed the endorsement resolution,” Burahan said. “He (Go) can be the eyes and ears of those we represent as mayors and members of LMP. If he runs he can rely on our full support.”
The LMP resolution was released even as Go had insisted that he was not interested to run and his main focus was his work as the President’s special assistant.
“Sumusunod lang po ako sa iuutos sakin ng presidente (I follow what the President instructs me to do),” Go said.
He, however, expressed gratitude for the increasing number of persons and groups that have urged him to run.
“Ako po ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat sa mga mayor ng bansa para sa kanilang pagpapakita ng suporta sa akin. Nakakataba po ng puso na hindi man ako interesado tumakbo ay marami pa ring mga tao na gustong sumuporta (I am sincerely thankful to the mayors of the country for their show of support for me. It warms my heart that a lot of people are already showing support even though I have no interest in running),” Go said.
He said his political career would depend on his boss.
“It is too early to speculate… It is all up to the President,” Go said.
In March, government officials, including lawmakers and Cabinet secretaries, gathered to launch the #ReadySetGO movement, to urge Go to run for senator.
Among his first endorsers was his close friend, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, principal convenor of the #ReadySetGO movement.
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