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Bong Go drops out of presidential race

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Sen. Christopher Lawrence " bong="" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/11/30/20211123-duterte-iatf-mnib1-2.jpg"/><figcaption>President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Sen. Christopher Lawrence &quot;Bong&quot; Go, presides over a meeting at the Malacañang Palace on Nov. 23, 2021. Robinson Niñal, Presidential Photo/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s anointed successor Sen. Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go said on Tuesday he was withdrawing his candidacy in the 2022 elections.Go said he was removing himself from the presidential race because he did not want to add to Duterte&#x27;s problems. &quot;Ayoko ko rin pong lalong maipit si Pangulong Duterte. Higit pa po sa tatay ang pagmamahal ko sa kanya,&quot; Go told reporters in a chance interview.&quot;Matanda na po siya at marami na rin siyang naibigay para sa bayan kaya ayaw ko na pong dagdagan pa ang kaniyang problema,&quot; he added. (I do not want to President Duterte to be caught in the middle. My love for him is more than that of a father. He is already old and has given so much to the country, so I don&#x27;t want to increase his problems.) Go did not elaborate. The President&#x27;s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is running for vice president in tandem with a different contender, former senator Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr. Duterte earlier branded Marcos as a &quot;<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/21/duterte-on-bongbong-marcos-spoiled-weak-leader">weak leader</a>,&quot; while praising his longtime aide Go as &quot;honest&quot; and hard-working. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/21/21/dutertes-criticisms-vs-marcos-could-badly-affect-saras-vp-run-analyst">Duterte&#x27;s criticisms vs Marcos could badly affect Sara&#x27;s VP run</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/23/21/marcos-says-he-took-drug-test-after-duterte-tirades">Marcos says he took drug test after Duterte tirades</a></li></ul>Go said his family did not want him to run for president. &quot;In the past few days I realized that my heart and my mind are contradicting my action. Talagang nagre-resist po ang aking katawan, puso at isipan. Tao lang po ako na nasasaktan at natatakot din... Sa ngayon po iyon po ang mga rason ko, that is why I am withdrawing from the race,&quot; he continued. (My body, heart and mind are resisting. I am only human, I get hurt and scared, too. For now, those are my reasons, that is why I am withdrawing from the race.)Go added he had &quot;no ambition&quot; for the top job and had only prepared to run for vice president. Duterte in October said his daughter would run for president with Go as running-mate. &quot;Humihingi po ako ng paumanhin sa inyo… Hindi ko po ito napaghandaan,&quot; Go told his supporters. (I apologize. I was not prepared for this.) <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1845832" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div>WHO WILL DUTERTE BACK? </div>Go said he and the President would a support candidates who can continue the current administration&#x27;s infrastructure drive and COVID-19 response, among others. Asked if the President would endorse his daughter&#x27;s vice presidential run, Go said, &quot;Hintayin po natin si Pangulong Duterte kung sino ang kaniyang susuportahan.&quot; (Let us wait for President Duterte&#x27;s announcement of who he will support.) &quot;Ayaw ko po siyang pangunahan,&quot; he added. (I do not want to preempt him.) Duterte earlier questioned his daughter&#x27;s bid for the top 2 job, given her lead in surveys for the presidency. He even threatened to challenge her in the vice presidential race, but ended up registering as a substitute candidate for senator. Go said he could not speak on Duterte&#x27;s behalf, when asked if the President would continue his Senate run. His exit from the presidential race leaves ruling party PDP-Laban and its ally PDDS without a standard-bearer. The senator said Duterte &quot;respects&quot; his withdrawal from the elections. Go&#x27;s first term in the Senate ends in 2025. <div>— With reports from Jamaine Punzalan and Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News </div>

MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — President Rodrigo Duterte's anointed successor Sen. Christopher 'Bong' Go said on Tuesday he was withdrawing his candidacy in the 2022 elections.