Beauty queen cop to replace Bong Go, Duterte jokes

With erstwhile Bong Go deemed resigned after he filed his certificate of candidacy for senator, President Rodrigo Duterte in a speech on Wednesday introduced his ‘replacement.’ In jest.

"Ang pumalit kay Bong, tumindig ka nga," Duterte said as he motioned his close-in aide Senior Inspector Lauren Deliu to stand.

"Harap ka doon sa kanila. Tumindig ka. Anong bang klaseng pulis ito kapitan pa?" he added to a mix of applause and laughter.

His close aide since he was mayor of Davao City, Go is running for senator and has received Duterte's endorsement.

Duterte, however, has yet to find a replacement for the former special assistant to the President.

Deliu was one of several female police officers who joined Duterte's security detail after he won the presidency in 2016.

The Filipino-Romanian joined the Miss Earth Philippines pageant in 2015 and made it to the Top 15 of the competition.

A model since she was 14, the Baguio-born Sofia attended the Philippine National Police Academy after finishing college.

She is married to fellow police officer, Inspector Abdul Bassar Abdurajak. —Llanesca T. Panti/NB, GMA News