Senatorial aspirant Bong Go on Wednesday denied receiving any special treatment when he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) headquarters last Monday.
READ: Comelec gives Bong Go ‘special treatment’
“Nung dumating po kami dito ni Pangulong Duterte, nandiyan na po ‘yung mga tao, nandiyan na po sa loob. Hindi po namin ugali ni Pangulong Duterte na humingi po ng special treatment,” Go told reporters in an ambush interview.
“Ever since po sumusunod po kami sa batas kung ano yung patakaran, sumusunod po kami,” he added.
Go was accompanied by President Rodrigo Duterte when the former filed his candidacy for senator in the 2019 May elections under the ruling PDP-Laban.
Some members of the Cabinet also went with Go during his COC filing, namely: Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano, and newly-appointed Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon, among others.
READ: Duterte escorts Go in filing COC at Comelec
“’Yung mga Cabinet po na nandiyan ay pumasok ng kanila lang. Hindi po namin alam na nandiyan na po sila,” Go said.
Under the rules, Comelec only allows a candidate to bring up to 4 companions in the COC filing area.
Go said Duterte was one of the four people listed to accompany him inside the Comelec office.
“Nung pumasok kami diyan (Comelec office) listed po yung pangalan ni Pangulong Duterte as one of the four (companions) kahit tignan niyo sa records. Sabi niya (Duterte) sunod tayo, kung apat lang ang pwedeng papasukin apat lang ang papasok,” Go said.
“Hindi na ho namin kontrolado kung sino ‘yung nakapasok. Hindi ho kami kahit kailan humihingi ng special treatment, mas gusto namin ‘yung di kami napapansin,” he added. /kga