Go, Bato, Tolentino to bow down to Duterte in Senate? ‘I doubt it,’ says Sotto

Senate President Vicente Sotto III is convinced that winning senatorial candidates Bong Go, Ronald Dela Rosa, and Francis Tolentino will not bow down to President Rodrigo Duterte's wishes once they take office even if the Chief Executive had endorsed them.

"What would Bong Go, Bato Dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino do? Susunod ba basta-basta yan? I doubt it," Sotto told reporters at a media forum on Thursday.

In the latest partial and unofficial results of the elections in the Commission on Elections' transparency survey, Go, Dela Rosa and Tolentino rank 3rd, 5th, and 9th, respectively.

No opposition senatorial candidate has made it so far in the Magic 12, leading many to fear that the new Senate will become a "rubber stamp" of the administration.

But Sotto believes otherwise, saying that based on how he knew Go, he is not one who blindly follows orders from the President.

"The way I know Bong Go, kapag may pinilit ang Palasyo at hindi niya type o hindi niya gusto, papalag yun, magsasabi yan doon. Sasabihin niya, 'Naku, Sir, hindi maganda ito,'" Sotto said.

"The way I know him, hindi basta pikit-mata susunod. Lalo na kapag nag-oath na sa June 30 yan, senador na. You already oath to the millions of people who voted for you, not to those who endorsed you," he added.

Go, in an earlier interview, said that he would still follow an order from the President if it would be for the good of most Filipinos.

For now, Go said he could not say if he could go against Duterte's wishes when he's already a senator.

“Sa ngayon po hindi ko yan masasagot dahil sa pagka-alam ko, ang isusulong ng ating Pangulo ay para sa kabutihan ng ating bansa. Sa nakaraang 21 years, hindi po nag-utos sa akin  ang Pangulo na hindi po ikabubuti ng karamihan,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News