Mayors ‘Strongly Urge’ SAP Go to Run for Senator

The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) on Tuesday issued a resolution “strongly urging” Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go to run for the Senate in the 2019 midterm elections.

The group, composed of municipal mayors all over the country, said it had approved the resolution on July 13, 2018 during the Mindanao Island Cluster Conference in Davao City and during the Visayas Island Cluster Conference in Cebu City on Aug. 21.

In the resolution, the organization said the mayors declared “unequivocal support” for the presidential assistant’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.

For his part, Go expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the mayors’ endorsement.

“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.

In a statement, LMP President Ma. Fe Brondial, mayor of Socorro, Oriental Mindoro, said the group believes 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.

She added that Go will be “an effective voice of President (Rodrigo) Duterte in the Senate as he shares the vision and goals of PRRD for the country.”

This was echoed by LMP Secretary General Mayor Abraham Burahan of Hadji Panglima Tahil in Sulu, who said that the organization unanimously supports Duterte’s top aide “as a whole.”

“No one from LMP opposed the endorsement resolution,” he said, adding that Go “can be the eyes and ears of those we represent as mayors and members of LMP.”

The resolution was signed on behalf of the league members by Brondial and Burahan.

The resolution was released even as Go has insisted that he is not interested to run and his main focus is his work as assistant to the President.

“Sumusunod lang po ako sa iuutos sakin ng presidente (I follow what the President instructs me to do)”, he added.

Go, however, expressed gratitude for the increasing number of people and groups that have urged him to run.

Last week, the University of Mindanao Institute of Public Opinion (UM-IPO) released the results of a survey showing the the presidential assistant as the top pick of Davaoeños for the Senate. (PR)