Longtime Duterte aide and senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong ” Go has withdrawn his candidacy for the vice presidential race to pursue the country’s top position in the May 2022 national elections before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
Go, however, filed his presidential candidacy under Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) after his vice presidential withdrawal under the ruling party Partido Demokratiko-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). PDDS is an allied party of the PDP-Laban faction headed by its vice chairman and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Senator Bong Go made the shift in his candidacy hours after outgoing Davao City mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for vice president as a substitute for Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrat’s (Lakas-CMD) Lyle Uy. It was the same day fellow Senator Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa also withdrew his bid for president under PDP-Laban.
Go replaced PDDS’ standard bearer Grepor “Butch” Belgica who backed out from the presidential race. Greco Belgica, son of Grepor and current chair of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, officially announced Bong Go’s presidential candidacy under the party through a Facebook post.
“Opisyal nang naghain ng kanyang kandidatura sa pagkapangulo si Kuya Senador Bong Go sa ilalim ng Partidong Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan – PDDS para sa darating na halalan 2022. Ito ay matapos magwithdraw sa pagkapangulo ang aking ama at dating PDDS Presidential Candidate na si Grepor “Butch” Belgica,” Greco Belgica posted.
Go was accompanied by President Rodrigo Duterte when he submitted his papers of withdrawal for vice-presidency and filed his COC for the presidential bid.
Duterte sprays paint over the word “bise” on a campaign tarpaulin of Senator Bong Go in front of the COMELEC office in Intramuros.