Tick off Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go in the presidentiable list. The Dabawenyo lawmaker is not interested in running for the presidency.
On Monday, the closest aide of President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated he has no intentions of running and has made it official by declining the endorsement of the National Executive Committee of the ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
The endorsement was for him to be nominated as the party’s presidential candidate, alongside President Rodrigo Duterte who was endorsed to run for the vice-presidential post.
In a letter addressed to party president and Department of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Go said that while he is deeply honored by the trust and confidence, he respectfully declines the endorsement.
“I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence of the members of the NEC in my capability to run for the presidency this coming 2022 elections. For a simple man who hails from a city in the South, the endorsement alone by esteemed members and officers of the NEC is a great personal honor for me. As much as I wish to respond to the clamor of many of our partymates, I most respectfully decline the said endorsement. As I have said many times before, I am not interested in the presidency,” Go said in a statement.
The letter comes after the PDP-Laban NEC adopted Resolution No. 5, series of 2021, last August 4, 2021, which endorses Go as the party’s presidential candidate and President Rodrigo Duterte for the vice-presidential post.
In the letter’s conclusion, Go stated that he will leave his political future in God’s hands.
“Ipapasa-Diyos ko na lang ang lahat,” he said.
Go, who is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, said that he would rather devote his time and attention in helping the government and Filipinos overcome the pandemic as soon as possible.
“This includes not just crafting laws but also performing representation and constituency services, particularly by helping those in need, as I have been doing ever since,” he said.
Last week, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, considered by many to be among the frontrunners among presidentiables, urged her father President Duterte and Go to disclose their electoral plans.
