Duterte: 'Bright' Bong Go would make a great senator

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday hinted that his top aide, Christopher "Bong" Go, would seek public office soon.

"Look, he will win as senator...I will bet on it. He would make a great senator. He's really a bright man," Duterte said in his native Cebuano during the 16th founding anniversary of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, Inc. in Davao City.

Duterte added Go, his chief aide for two decades now, is "pro-government" and has close ties with the military and police.

"Please don’t forget that guy at the back, who has slanted eyes, when the time comes," Duterte said, drawing applause from the audience that included Go himself.

The President earlier quipped during the 116th anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on February 6 that Go's appearance at the Senate inquiry on the controversial frigate acquisition project of the Philippine Navy, which was held two weeks later, can be his closest aide’s ticket to the Senate.

Go, in response, said he was not running as he vowed to serve Duterte until his last breath.

But Go's stance seemed to have changed recently when Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, a former politician, expressed belief Go would make it to the top five of the Senate race.

On Friday, Go said: "He is my adviser, my mentor and my boss. I am very, very happy to be endorsed by Mayor Rody. Nawawala ang pagod ko kahit 24 hours magtrabaho. But it is still too early to talk about politics. Humbled, challenged and motivated, mag du-duty muna ako kay boss at sa kapatid nating Pilipino."

Go, in a statement last week, said he cannot ignore the support of the President and his supporters but insisted it was too early to talk about politics.

A campaign dubbed “Ready, Set, Go!” has already been formed by Go’s supporters to encourage him to run for a Senate seat in the 2019 midterm elections. —JST, GMA News