Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go. (Contributed photo)
CEBU CITY – Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II on Wednesday cited Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s extensive effort to help the poor and victims of calamities amid the pandemic, as he announced support to the latter’s presidential bid.
Yap also announced the Boholanos' all-out support for the vice presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
“(Si Senator Bong Go) talaga ang ating kandidato pagka-presidente at ang ating vice president ay si Mayor Sara Duterte. Iyan ang dadalhin natin sa Tagbilaran City... Kung Bohol at Tagbilaran lang ang pag-uusapan, napakalaking tulong ang naibigay ni Senator Bong Go sa ating probinsya… hindi pa nga natatapos ang pag-iikot ng kanyang team sa iba’t ibang mga bayan (Senator Bong Go is really our presidential candidate and our vice president is Mayor Sara Duterte. That is what we will bring to Tagbilaran City... If we only talk about Bohol and Tagbilaran, Senator Bong Go has given a lot of help to our province… his team has not even finished touring various towns),” Yap said in a radio interview.
Yap said Go was instrumental in setting up the first Malasakit Center in Tagbilaran City. Another one was later on established in Ubay town.
The mayor also lauded Go’s distribution of financial and medical assistance, especially to those who are affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis, as well as the barangay officials in December last year.
However, he clarified that the decision to support Go was made independently by his group at the city level.
While Yap has yet to get in touch with the provincial leaders of the Pundok Padayon Bol-anon coalition, he maintained that he decided regardless of who the coalition endorses.
In response, Go thanked the local chief executive and his group and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Tagbilaran City’s crisis response and recovery efforts during the pandemic.
“Many thanks to Mayor Yap and my Filipino brothers and sisters for your continued trust and support of us and President (Rodrigo) Duterte. What is important now is the service we provide to the people -- how we can lift them out of poverty, how we can avoid hunger, and how we can sustain the development of our people,” he said in Filipino.
Go said the decision is up to the Filipinos when the time comes, adding that he would continue helping those who are in need and not waste the opportunity to serve the people, regardless of their choice in next year's elections.
Amid the health crisis, Go’s outreach teams have conducted several relief operations for over a thousand of Tagbilaran City’s poor and vulnerable residents, including out-of-school youth, persons with disabilities, market vendors and displaced workers.
Their efforts have since expanded to various communities impacted by Covid-19 and recent disasters throughout Bohol.
Aside from the establishment of Malasakit Centers at the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City and Don Emilio del Valle Memorial Hospital in Ubay in 2018 and 2020, respectively, Go likewise supported various infrastructure initiatives to enhance the local economy and improve the quality of life of Boholanons.
These include the concreting of farm-to-market and other roads in Buenavista and Sevilla; construction of the municipal slaughterhouse in Inabanga; improvement of public markets in Bilar and Clarin; acquisition and installation of solar-powered street lights in Getafe; and acquisition of a multi-purpose vehicle and dump truck for the local government of Clarin.
Other major initiatives he supported include the construction of multi-purpose buildings in Buenavista, Dauis, Loay, Alicia, Anda, Balilihan, Batuan, Danao, Dimiao, Duero, Garcia-Hernandez, Guindulman, Loon, Valencia and Tagbilaran City; and the improvement of evacuation centers in Panglao, Anda, Balilihan, Carmen, Corella, Garcia-Hernandez and Valencia. (PNA)
