Philippine Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, who was President Rodrigo Duterte’s preferred successor, has announced his withdrawal from the 2022 presidential campaign.
After days of speculation about his departure, Go said on Tuesday that he was pulling out of the presidential race because the timing wasn’t right for him. “My family doesn’t want it either so I thought maybe this is not yet my time,” Go told reporters. “In the past few days, I realised that my heart and my mind are contradicting my own actions. My body, heart and mind are resisting. I am only human, I get hurt and scared, too. For now, those are my reasons, that is why I am withdrawing from the race,” he said.
At the same time, Go also stressed his loyalty to Duterte, saying that decision to withdraw was also taken to avoid causing “more problems” for President Duterte, whom he professed to love “more than as a father.” “I do not want President Duterte to be caught in the middle. My love for him is more than that of a father. He is already old and has given so much to the country, so I don’t want to increase his problems,” Bong said. “I remain loyal to him and I promise to be with him forever,” he added.
Go, who has been a long-time close aide to Duterte, entered the race only two days before the November 15 deadline for filing candidacy, after previously having registered for the vice presidential race.
Although it is not immediately clear who the 76-year-old Duterte will now extend support to, Go said in a short speech streamed on Facebook that he, along with President Duterte, is “ready to support whoever will truly serve and can continue and protect Duterte’s legacy towards a more comfortable and safe and prosperous life for our children.”
Go’s sudden exit has narrowed the field of candidates competing to win the country’s highest office. According to a recent survey by polling outfit Social Weather Stations, the current frontrunner is the son and namesake of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Second in line is the country’s incumbent vice president, Leni Robredo, who is also a staunch Duterte critic, followed by celebrity mayor Francisco Domagoso and former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
Duterte himself is constitutionally barred from seeking a second six-year term. Instead, the incumbent president is running for a Senatorial seat, as the country will also be choosing governors, mayors, and local officials in the May 2022 elections.