CALABARZON all-out for Go

Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go receives game-changing endorsement. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) candidate Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who is gunning for a Senate seat in the May elections, received a crucial boost in his campaign after governors of the vote-rich CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) on Sunday declared him as an adopted son as they expressed full support to his candidacy.

In a two-page “Manifesto of Support” dated 10 February 2019, the governors of the five provinces declared their unequivocal support to the senatorial bid of Go, whom they referred to as “Special Assistant to the People.”

“We promised to lead the people in our provinces to carry ‘Bong’ Go to the Senate. To support this pursuit, we are proudly declaring Go, who is a Batangueño, as the adopted son of the entire CALABARZON region,” the manifesto said.

For his part, Go thanked the CALABARZON governors for their support, saying this would serve to inspire him in working harder to serve the people.

SAP “Bong” Go, you can count on Quezon province being behind you 110 percent.

“I am thankful for your assurances, your help and your commitment,” Go said.

Go noted that while he had no political plans, President Rodrigo Duterte prodded him to run for the Senate to serve the people in a greater capacity.

“He advised me, ‘You won’t go wrong Bong. Do all you can for Filipinos. Serve the Filipinos first,’” he added. “Trust that both me and President Duterte will put Filipino interest ahead of everything.”

Quezon Gov. David “Jayjay” Suarez said the gathering is historic since the region has never had any unified stand and a unified voice in supporting any candidate in the previous elections.

“SAP ‘Bong’ Go, you can count on Quezon province being behind you 110 percent,” Suarez said, noting Go was instrumental in the realization of many development projects in his province.

Speaking for Laguna, Gov. Ramil Hernandez said: “Laguna will bet on you and your victory will also be the triumph of the whole province.”

“You can rely on the whole of Rizal province,” said Rizal Gov. Rebecca Ynares, noting the former SAP has always provided assistance every time the province is in need.

Noting that Go is also a Batangueño, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas noted that the province has not asked anything from President Duterte, but the Chief Executive has given them a very big favor through the service of a fellow Batangueño, “Bong” Go.

“One of the most important gifts of President Duterte to us is allowing a Batangueño, our SAP Bong Go to become a Senate candidate,” Mandanas said.

For his part, Cavite Gov. Crispin Remulla committed his province’s support to the candidacy of “Bong” Go, saying, “What we will strive to do is to target top three in the province of Cavite.”

Going strong Local officials of CALABARZON show unified support to former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s Senate bid. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO In the manifesto, the CALABARZON governors cited Go’s over 21 years of selfless service as a trustworthy and dependable aide of President Rodrigo Duterte and as an assistant to the people.

The CALABARZON governors also said Go’s dedication to service is worthy of emulation, noting that he remained a humble and simple man from the province, but has shown a “big heart for his country” by initiating several projects, including the Malasakit Centers, for the benefit of the people.

The CALABARZON governors said they strongly believe that when Go is elected as a senator of the republic, Go will be able to further build on the success of many programs of the current government for the betterment of our people.

Go’s legislative agenda include the improvement of the delivery of health services, including the establishment of Malasakit Centers in all provinces and urban centers of the country. The center makes it easier and faster for poor patients to avail themselves of medical and financial assistance from the government by bringing together in one room all concerned government agencies, such as the DoH, DSWD, PCSO and PhilHealth.

In addition, Go’s legislative priorities include programs for agriculture, anti-illegal drugs and criminality, education, housing, long-term sports development, fire prevention and protection, anti-corruption, localized peace talks, creation of Department of OFW, barangay welfare and improved benefits for senior citizens.

In the 2016 elections, CALABARZON has the highest number of registered voters nationwide with 7.6 million. It is estimated that voters in the region for the 2019 elections have reached around 8.8 million.