Senator Bong Go Faces Challenging Midterm Election
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, currently leading in the senatorial race, revealed on Monday that his re-election campaign this year has been far more challenging than his initial 2019 bid. He openly acknowledged that he and other allies of the Duterte family faced disadvantages in this midterm election.
“Sa totoo lang po, mahirap po. Iba yung sitwasyon namin nung 2019 na administration. Ito sariling sikap kami, wala kaming entablado. Kami-kami mismo ang nagtutulungan sa motorcade, entablado, para sa aming sorties,” he shared.
He explained that unlike in 2019 when they had the support of the then-administration, this time they had to rely solely on their own efforts, managing everything from motorcades to stages without any external help.
Hard Work and Sincerity Drive His Campaign
Go described this campaign as the most difficult one yet, emphasizing the importance of hard work and sincerity. “Ito, napaka-challenging sa akin ng kampanyang ito, ito ang pinakamahirap. Sariling kayod talaga ito. Pero sipag lang talaga po. Napaka-importante ang sinseridad sa serbisyo, with all sincerity and humility.”
Despite the obstacles, partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections as of 11:04 p.m. showed Go leading with 25,551,308 votes.
Allies in the Senate and Gratitude to Mentor
Other candidates aligned with the “DuterTen” coalition who secured spots in the “Magic 12” include re-electionist Ronald Dela Rosa, SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, and Camille Villar.
Looking ahead to another term in the Senate, Go expressed his gratitude to former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom he called his mentor. “Isa lang naman po ang pinaalala niya sa akin noon, alam niyo hindi siya nakikialam sa amin kung paano kami magtrabaho. Isa lang sinabi niya sa amin – just do what is right, gawin mo lang yung tama, unahin yung interest ng bayan, unahin yung interes ng Pilipino,” he said.
He thanked the Filipino people for trusting him as a simple provincial man given the chance to serve. “Salamat sa tiwala ninyo sa akin bilang isang probinsyano lamang na binigyan niyo ng pagkakataon na mag-serbisyo.”
Continuing Commitment to Health Services
Senator Go also vowed to keep pushing for health-related programs such as the Malasakit Center initiative. He views the election results as a direct reflection on their performance as incumbent senators. “Referendum po ito sa amin bilang incumbent senator. Ito yung performance rating namin kung nagtrabaho ba kami sa loob anim na taon. Ito na yung panghuhusga sa amin kung ginawa ba namin ang aming tungkulin bilang isang senador,” he added.
In this election, Senator Bong Go showed resilience and determination, relying on hard work and sincerity to connect with voters amid a more difficult political landscape than before.