Duterte Respects Go’s Decision To Withdraw From Presidential Race; Says He Has Fulfilled Almost All Campaign Promises

President Duterte respects the decision of his former aide Sen. Bong Go to withdraw from the presidential race, saying he cannot do anything if that is what the lawmaker’s family wants.

During a meeting of a regional anti-insurgency task force in Zamboanga City on Thursday, Dec. 2, Duterte asked Go whether he would still seek the highest elected post.

Duterte then claimed that Go's decision not to pursue his presidential bid has “made a lot of people sad than happy.”

“We respect your decision lalo na kung pamilya, wala na tayong magawa doon (especially if that's what the family wants. We cannot do anything about it)," the President said.

Last Tuesday, Nov. 30, Go announced that he is no longer running for president, citing his unpreparedness and family’s resistance to his bid. He said he does not want to add more problems to Duterte because he is already old and has already done a lot for the country.

Go said he and Duterte may support a presidential candidate that would continue the reforms that the present administration has started.

The allies of Duterte and Go at the PDP-Laban have vowed to support candidates who are aligned with their mission to fight drugs, corruption, terrorism, criminality, poverty and to establish a federal form of government.

Duterte also claimed that he has fulfilled most of his campaign promises, but admitted that he has yet to solve peace and security issues because of the misdeeds of drug syndicates and the demand of communists to establish a coalition government.

Speaking during the inauguration of 143 social and tourism ports and the Zamboanga City seaport development project, Duterte expressed hope that all the projects of his administration would be completed before he steps down.

He said the government remains committed to pursuing sustainable projects that would benefit Filipinos beyond 2022.

“As my term nears its end, let me emphasize even with all the difficulties posed by the pandemic, this administration will continue to implement vital infrastructure projects to improve the lives of Filipinos,” he said.

Duterte, however, admitted that he has yet to fully address the illegal drugs trade and has not reached a settlement with communists.

“But I said my term is nearing its end, I can say with a little bit of pride that I have fulfilled almost all of my promises. We just have peace and order (issues) but you know, for as long as there are men (on) this planet, there will always be misdeeds and wrongdoings committed by human beings,” the President said.

Duterte, whose tough stance on crime helped him win the 2016 elections by a landslide, said he has promised to try to eliminate the shabu industry.

“I think I have not finished it because every minute there is a stupid guy around to do (it) again,” he said in Filipino.

When he was running for president, Duterte vowed to put an end to the drug menace within the first six months of his term. He later admitted that the goal is not attainable because several government officials are into narcotics trade.

He reiterated that he would not face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has allowed an investigation into the deaths linked to his drug war.

Officials insist that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the campaign because the treaty that formed the court, the Rome Statute, did not meet publication requirements.

“You know I am Filipino, if there is somebody who will prosecute me, it should be the Philippine prosecution service, where I was a member prosecutor for nine years before I became a vice mayor and mayor. If I face a tribunal, it should be before a Philippine court, and if I am sent to jail, I want a Filipino judge to send me to jail if he sees any wrongdoing,” Duterte said in Filipino.

“If I allow myself to be jailed, I won’t allow myself to be detained in just about any facility. They said their jail facility is like a hotel. But I will stay in Muntinlupa and I will have the tattoo in my hand completed. I have a flower tattoo here...when I start to flirt, I brag about my tattoo,” he added.

On the insurgency problem, Duterte said communists had pushed for a coalition government, a setup that he described as “stupid.”

“I asked the military and the police to give me a chance to solve this problem and I failed because they (communists) do not want it. When you start to talk about a coalition government that is stupid,” he said. – With Roel Pareño