Votes should support candidates who will consider and prioritize the continuity of pro-poor programs and initiatives implemented by the Duterte administration.

Policy and program continuity is always in peril each time the country elects new leaders, particularly if they come from the opposition, according to Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.

At the same time, Go reiterated that his party, PDP-Laban, is fully backing Sara Duterte for vice president even if President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to reveal his choices for the May 9 polls.

“Kung sino po iyong makakatulong na Presidente, kung sinong makakatulong, iyon po ang ating tulungan (Whoever can help the President, whoever can help, let’s support them),” Go said in an interview after his recent dialog with struggling workers in San Isidro, Davao Oriental.

The senator also urged Filipinos to elect leaders who have demonstrated willingness to help their communities develop further.

He then asked the country’s next leaders to sustain and pursue further the current administration’s priority programs, such as the “Build, Build, Build” and expansion of Malasakit Centers as he pledged his support to those who will do so.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop where indigent patients can efficiently access financial medical assistance from agencies such as the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

To date, it has 150 branches, the latest of which opened at Batanes General Hospital in Basco town on March 1.

“Ang nangyayari sa mga nakaraang presidential elections, kapag iba ang nanalo, ‘pag oposisyon, eh wala na ‘yung mga programang inumpisahan, magiging white elephant po. Sayang. Huwag naman po sanang gano’n (What happened in previous presidential elections, if the opposition wins, the previous programs are discontinued and become white elephants. Such a waste. Let’s not work that way),” he added in a news release on Saturday.

Go said that while he cannot speak for the President, he will go with PDP-Laban’s endorsement of the presidential daughter.

“Full support tayo at ang partido kay (We fully support [Davao City]) Mayor Sara.” (PNA)