Bong Go declared ‘adopted  son’ of Puerto Princesa City

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who touted the ‘Balik Probinsya’ program, was declared an “adopted son of Puerto Princesa” by the City Council on Monday.

”We wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude because he has helped our residents relentlessly. There is no instance where he turned us down when we called for help,” City councilor Elgin Damasco, who moved the resolution SDO No. 684-2020, asserting that the senator has helped city residents who were struck with calamities.

The resolution, which was adopted by the body as co-authors, hurdled through the local legislative with second and final readings dispensed.

Damasco cited the “valuable and personal” support extended by Go on several fire incidents that happened in the city,  including Barangay San Miguel on April 2019, Barangay Tiniguiban on December 2019, Barangay Bagong Silang on April 2020, and last week’s fire incident in Barangays Maunlad and Bagong Sikat.

But the report on the Council’s passage of the resolution sparked a windfall of mostly negative reactions critical to the move of city legislative officials.

“I wanted to say something but I won’t because I might receive a subpoena,” one Facebook user said, relating to the report of Go tapping the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe on social media posts against him.

Senator Go, in April, has proposed the ‘Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa’ program, which was institutionalized by President Duterte through Executive Order No. 114 on May 6. Balik Probinsya sought to decongest Metro Manila and promote a more robust regional development.

The program had sparked controversy after it created a “wave” of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive cases in provinces previously known to be “COVID-19 free,” heavily affecting the Eastern Visayas region.

On June 11, the national government has suspended the program, heeding the plea of certain local governments that were overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases they attributed to the program.

Go has been declared an “adopted son” of several other cities and provinces including Legazpi City, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and Taal, Batangas.

LZB