Bong Go says viral John Bertiz a friend but...

President Rodrigo Duterte's special assistant Secretary Bong Go admitted that beleaguered ACT-OFW party-list Representative John Bertiz was a friend but added that he had no control over what the sectoral lawmakers said or did.

Go made the remark after Bertiz drew widespread criticism online over a supposed refusal to undergo security protocols at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport over the weekend.

Bertiz was also caught on CCTV appearing to berate a member of the airport security staff.

"Ang security check sa mga airports ay para rin sa ating kaligtasan kung kaya’t dapat tayo sumunod sa patakaran," Go said in a statement.

"Walang exemptions dapat. Habang totoo po na si Congressman Bertiz ay isang kaibigan, hindi ko kontrolado ang mga sinasabi at ginagawa niya. Siya na po ang mag-explain kung ano talaga ang tunay na nangyari doon sa video na nag-viral," he added.

Go's name was dragged into the controversy over his perceived closeness to the party-list representative—a factor that not a few blamed for Bertiz's refusal to go through security measures such as removing his footwear at the airport gates.

"It has always been our practice, even in Davao City when the President was still mayor, to follow rules, directives and procedure," Go said.

"As government officials, we were never exempted from adhering to such. In fact, the President himself will not ask us to be spared from yielding to authority and respecting the law," he added.

Before the airport video went viral, Bertiz last week also had to apologize publicly after he told passers of a recently administered professional licensure test that they would not be given their licenses if they didn't know Go.

The congressman had said that he was only joking. —NB, GMA News