Former President Rodrigo Duterte receives a plaque from Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy as an adopted son of the city. (Photo courtesy of Cagayan de Oro City Information Office)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines – For their contributions to the country, specifically to Cagayan de Oro, the city government has declared former President Rodrigo Duterte and incumbent Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go as its “adopted sons” in a ceremony held at a hotel here Thursday afternoon, March 23.
The event was attended by most of the city’s barangay chairs and their council members, as well as executives from the regional government offices and dignitaries from the local business sector.
The resolutions, numbered 14480-2023 and 14479-2023, declaring Go and Duterte, respectively, as “adopted sons” were read onstage by City Councilor Joyleen Mercedes Balaba.
The resolutions were approved by the 20th City Council during its regular session on Feb. 13.
The plaques were handed out to Duterte and Go by Mayor Rolando Uy.
Citing the resolution, Balaba said Go had “invaluably supported the programs and projects of the City Government aimed at serving and providing quality health services to its poor constituents by facilitating the establishment of [two] Super Health Centers in Barangays Balubal and San Simon as well as the construction of [four] more health centers in the City.”
Balaba added the senator had been “actively involved in the distribution of financial assistance to affected families and has also called for the government to increase its capacity to test, trace, and treat COVID-19 cases.”
Go was also instrumental in the construction of Cagayan de Oro’s two Malasakit Centers – the senator’s flagship project – a one-stop-shop medical assistance facility catering mostly to poor patients.
The centers are located at the government-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center and the city government-operated JR Borja General Hospital.
Duterte was recognized for the several infrastructure projects he implemented during his six-year term under the “Build Build Build” program and for his campaign against illegal drugs.
“The significant decrease in crime under his watch is particularly noticeable in Cagayan de Oro City. His aggressive battle to eradicate the proliferation and usage of illegal drugs in the country resulted in the capture of drug syndicates and the rehabilitation of drug addicts,” the resolution that endorsed Duterte stated.
In his speech, Go said it was in his nature to serve the people even during his personal time, reiterating his slogan “ang tanging bisyo ay magserbisyo” (my only vice is to serve).
For his part, Duterte said he was not really keen on accepting adulations insisting that he was just doing his job as an elected public servant.
This is not the first time that Duterte received such accolades after his presidency. Just this January the former president was also declared by the provincial government of Pampanga as its “adopted son.”