By Archie Villaflores

PHOTO: Twitter

Everyone who will be spending Valentine’s Day alone should no longer be sad and worry as Senator Christopher “Bong” Go offered himself and President Rodrigo Duterte to be their dates.

“Happy Valentine’s Day sa mga Pilipino. Para sa mga walang date diyan, narito kami ni Pangulong Duterte na nagmamahal sa inyo,” said Go, the President’s long-time aide, in a radio interview on Friday. 

The senator also encouraged the public to celebrate Valentine’s Day safely by following minimum health standards set by the experts. 

“Sa darating na Araw ng mga Puso, mag-ingay. Mag face mask kayo dahil talagang delikado pa ang panahon habang hinihintay natin ang binibiling vaccine ng gobyerno,” he added. 

In 2019, Go said he ‘loves’ President Duterte so much that he is even willing to go to jail with him over the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs which has met criticisms for alleged extrajudicial killings and human rights violations. 

The President in February 2020 also poked fun at his loyal former assistant, saying the neophyte lawmaker may be aspiring to become the next chief executive. Go, however, downplayed Duterte’s words as a joke and denied his supposed presidential ambitions the same way he previously refuted claims of him running as senator but ended up doing so anyway. 

Despite him already being a senator, Go remains to be Duterte’s companion as he often attends presidential events where there is no other lawmaker present. He is also joining Duterte’s meeting with coronavirus task force of whom he is not a member of.
 
A Rappler report in May last year bared the state media has given Go extensive airtime during some episodes of official coronavirus broadcasts supposedly dedicated for the government’s pandemic response. 

Sought for explanation, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Go is still tailing Duterte “because he promised the electorate that he will forever be at the side of the President until he dies."


RELATED ARTICLE: Inquirer Bandera