THE Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) held its official proclamation rally on Thursday, February 13, at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City. The event was led by former President and party chairman Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who led the presentation of the party’s slate, reaffirming PDP’s commitment to championing national development, good governance, and the welfare of the Filipino people.
During the event, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, the Chairperson of the Senate Committees on Health, on Youth, and on Sports, thanked the public for their continued trust and support.
“Sa lahat ng mga nandito, maraming salamat po sa inyong suporta lalo na ang mga loyalista… Alam niyo, bilog naman po ang mundo at may Panginoon tayo na hindi tayo pababayaan… Ayaw ko manira, hayaan na natin ang mga Pilipino ang humusga,” he said.
“Ipagpapatuloy ko ang pagseserbisyo sa inyo dahil ‘yan naman po ang aking sinumpaang tungkulin. Hindi po ako politiko na basta mangangako. Gagawin ko lang ang aking trabaho sa abot ng aking makakaya,” he added.
The candidates took turns addressing the crowd, sharing their platforms, and emphasizing their commitment to pursuing reforms that align with PDP-Laban’s advocacies.
“Pakiusap ko lang po, tulungan ninyo po silang lahat, the more na may kakampi tayo sa Senado, mas makakatulong tayo sa sambayanang Pilipino,” he appealed.
Senator Go added that apart from him, currently there are only two other senators from PDP in the Upper Chamber, namely, Senator Robinhood “Robin” Padilla and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
“Tulungan ninyo naman kami ni Bato (referring to fellow PDP candidate Senator dela Rosa) para dadami kami, Senator Robin, Senator Bato at ako, madagdagan kami na makikipaglaban po sa inyo sa Senado, makikipaglaban hindi lang po sa mga Duterte, makikipaglaban sa kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino,” he said.
The lawmaker from Davao City further gave a timely advice to those running for positions in government. He urged his partymates to prioritize first the interest of Filipinos, especially the poor Filipinos.
“Minsan lang po tayo dadaan sa mundong ito. Kung anong tulong na pwede natin gawin sa ating kapwa, gawin na po natin ngayon dahil hindi na tayo babalik sa mundong ito,” said Go.
This advice reinforces Senator Go’s lifelong commitment to public service. During his first stint as senator, Go authored 16 laws and principally sponsored 82 laws, including 80 laws for the establishment and upgrade of public hospitals. Go likewise co-authored or co-sponsored 185 other relevant laws.
Among these laws is Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go principally authored and sponsored that streamlined access to medical assistance for poor and indigent patients. To date, there are 167 Malasakit Centers nationwide. These include 93 in Luzon, 30 in the Visayas and 44 in Mindanao, benefitting more than 17 million Filipinos according to DOH.
If given the chance to serve for another term in the Senate, Senator Go said he would not waste the opportunity bestowed on him by Filipinos.
“Hindi po ako pulitiko na nangangako. Gagawin ko lang po ang aking trabaho sa abot ng aking makakaya dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at ako ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Panginoon,” Senator Go underscored earning him the monicker, “Mr. Malasakit.”
