This time, ‘Duterte’ accompanies Go

SOUNDS LIKE DIGONG Elcias Bugsad, who impersonates President Duterte, joins Special Assistant to the President Bong Go on visits to the provinces. —TONETTE OREJAS

CLARK FREEPORT—Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go says he has not decided whether to run for the Senate in next year’s midterm elections. But he is touring the provinces like a candidate accompanied by “President Duterte.”

Not the real President Rodrigo Duterte, but Elcias Bugsad, a taxi driver from Davao City who moves and sounds like Mr. Duterte.

The two shared the stage during the 69th founding anniversary of the Pampanga Press Club at Clark Freeport on Tuesday.

Davao ‘mayor’

Go introduced Bugsad as a former “mayor” in Davao City, that is, an inmate who supervises other detainees.

Wearing sunglasses, denim pants and shirt with rolled-up sleeves – much like Mr. Duterte – Bugsad, 39, spoke for four minutes, uttering a tangle of one-liners from the President’s speeches and punctuating his performance with Duterte moves like pressing two fingers to his right cheek and rubbing his nape.

He sounded really like Mr. Duterte, speaking about the fight against illegal drugs and corruption—the President’s signature programs—in a mix of Filipino and English.

And he spoke about Go.

“We are touring the country to see the situation of the people. I admire this guy. He’s been with me for more than 20 years. Bong has no vice but serving the Filipino,” Bugsad said.

Go, he said, is the “most appropriate person” to go to for help.

“Go for progress,” he said, as if endorsing the presidential aide for public office.

Ending his performance, Bugsad said: “Your concern is human rights. Mine is human lives. I am Elcias Bugsad, aka Duterte 2. I am a Filipino, I love the Philippines because this is the land of my birth and the home of my people. Thank you very much.”

When Bugsad left the stage, Go said the taxi driver also sold iced water in Davao City.

He said he advised Bugsad not to do it in Metro Manila because yelo, Filipino for “ice,” sounds like the color of the political opposition—yellow.

‘Go’ words

In his speech, Go said he would not run for the Senate unless the President told him to.

His problem, he said, is that this early his detractors want to get rid of words that have “go” in them: “negosyo,” “Chooks to Go,” “Go! Salad,” “To Go Travels,” “Go Hotels,” “Sogo.”

“It would be a problem when they try to remove green from the traffic light, because it means ‘go’,” he said.