DAVAO CITY — The clamor for the top aide of President Rodrigo Duterte to run for the Senate is mounting with the launch of Bayan for Bong Go (B4BG) Movement on Monday night at the Grand Regal Hotel.
Over a thousand members composed mostly of barangay leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao convened in Davao City as a show of support to the call for Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go to seek for a Senate seat.
Louv Kee Fano, chair of 1 Barangay Pilipinas, said B4BG is a grassroots volunteer organization led by supporters in the barangays.
She said B4BG believes that Go is one person who could help bring development and progress to the 42,000-strong members of the Liga ng Barangay because he is close to and knew the President well.
“Naniniwala kami na makakatulong siya sa amin kaya itinutulak at pinapakiusapan namin siya na tumakbo para sa Senado. Siya lang ang makapagpatuloy sa programa ng Presidente (We believe he can help the barangays so we are pushing and convincing him to run for the Senate. He is the only one who could continue the programs of the President),” Fano said in an interview at the sidelines of the B4BG launching.
Aside from the barangay officials, Fano said B4BG has members composed of the regional heads of government agencies, members of the House of Representatives, and local officials.
Fano said that after the launch, B4BG would roll out a series of activities until the next elections.
She said B4BG would pool resources and use the huge force of the Liga ng Barangay to launch programs beneficial to the people in the grassroots level.
“We will be a united force to campaign for SAP Go,” Fano stressed, adding that B4BG finds strength in its strong alliance with mass movers.
In his remarks during the launch via phone patch from China, Go asked B4BG members to give him time to decide. Go is with the President in his working visit in China.
But for now, Go said, “trabaho muna ngayon. Pagdating ng panahon mag decide ako at magsama-sama tayo dito (it’s work first for now. The time comes when I will decide and we will be together in this).”
Go said the Office of the President is open for all their concerns.
He added that the President has no other aim but to help the Filipino people.
The launch was also attended by Local Government’s Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Dino, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping, Davao City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang of the Philippine Councilors League. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
