Sen. Bong Go, on Wednesday, 5 October, attended the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Glan, Sarangani, where he thanked and commended uniformed personnel, particularly police officers and firefighters, for maintaining the safety of communities across the nation.
“Ito ang mga pulis ngayon, malalapitan at masisipag talaga at napakabait. Kaya dinoble ni Presidente Duterte ang sweldo ng pulis at bumbero para magsipag pa,” Go said during his speech.
In 2018, former president Rodrigo Duterte fulfilled his campaign promise of increasing the salaries of the military and uniformed personnel when he signed Congress Joint Resolution No. 1 which doubled the base pay of a private in the AFP, police officer I in the PNP, and equivalent ranks in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Public Safety College, Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
Go himself has also been a staunch proponent of higher salaries for civil servants and uniformed personnel. In the 18th Congress, he filed the Salary Standardization Law 5 as one of his priority bills and was enacted into law in 2020.
He also principally authored and co-sponsored Senate Bill No. 1832, which became Republic Act No. 11589. The law mandates the Bureau of Fire Protection to develop and implement a fire protection modernization program.
In the 19th Congress, the senator renewed his push for his proposed legislative measure, SBN 422, which aims to provide free legal assistance to any officer or enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP who is facing before the prosecutor’s office, court or any competent body, any charge arising from an incident related to the performance of official duty.
Meanwhile, as a neighboring Davaoeño, Go urged the locals to get in touch with him if they need help and assured them that he and former president Duterte would continue to look out for their best interests.
“Mga kababayan, mayroon lang akong isisingit sa inyo ha. Magkapitbahay lang naman tayo. Taga-Davao ako, ‘wag kayong magpasalamat sa amin ni (dating) presidente Duterte. Kami ang magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan n’yo kami ng pagkakataon na makapagserbisyo sa inyo,” said Go.
As the town celebrated its IP day, Go vowed to continue to be a staunch advocate of the welfare of indigenous people (IP). He has earlier shared that former President Duterte had promoted the welfare of the IPs in Mindanao which he, as senator, continues to pursue to this day. He also previously vowed to protect ancestral domains and look into environmental issues that could impact negatively on their way of life.
“Pakikinggan ko palagi ang ating mga kapatid, lalong lalo na yung mga indigenous people kung anong pwedeng maitutulong (natin) sa kanila. Kapakanan nila ang titingnan natin kasi minsan nahuhuli sila sa atensyon ng gobyerno,” Go previously stressed.
His team then went on to distribute grocery packs, masks, vitamins, shirts, and snacks to 500 beneficiaries while some received bicycles, cellular phones, shoes, and balls for basketball and volleyball.
Personnel from the DSWD also extended financial assistance through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.