Sen. Go vows to remain humble and focused on service

‘of public service.

Speaking across multiple media platforms following the release of partial and unofficial results, Senator Go maintained a posture of gratitude and modesty, reaffirming his mission to serve without fanfare.

“My personal assessment, gusto lang po ng Pilipino na magtrabaho ‘yung pinili nila. Siguro ayaw nila ng gulo, gusto nilang nagta-trabaho ang mga leader na pinili nila,” Senator Go said during an interview with ANC, adding, “So maybe, mensahe po ito na we should all buckle down to work. Trabaho muna tayo.”

“‘Yan po ang inaasahan ng mga Pilipino sa atin, magtrabaho. Kaya po tayo narito para magtrabaho at magserbisyo sa ating mga kababayan.”

As of May 12, partial results showed Senator Go as the frontrunner in the 2025 senatorial race, despite what he described as the most difficult campaign of his political life. Speaking to One News, he emphasized the evolving nature of public sentiment: “There are about 20% of the electorate na ayaw ng gulo. Gusto nila magtrabaho lang ang mga leader, mga pinili nila.”

Senator Go did not shy away from highlighting the grueling nature of the campaign. “Ang hirap po ng kampanya. Kumbaga, sariling sikap po. ‘Di na katulad dati, midterm noong 2019, n’andiyan po si dating Pangulong Duterte,” he told ANC.

He contrasted it with the 2019 campaign, when he ran under the administration banner. “Ngayon po iba. Sa sariling kayod po ito,” he said during his interview with TV5.

“Ako sinuyod ko talaga buong Pilipinas kahit saang sulok ng Pilipinas, pinupuntahan ko talaga. Gusto ko talagang ilapit ang serbisyo ng gobyerno, lalung lalo na ang serbisyo medikal sa ating mga kababayan, lalung lalo na ang mga mahirap,” he added.

“Wala kaming entablado. Kami kami po mismo nagtutulungan sa motorcade, sa aming mga sorties,” he shared in his GMA interview a he recalled how he and his fellow DuterTEN candidates made use of their minimal resources. “Eto, napaka-challenging sa akin itong kampanyang ito… pinaka-mahirap. Sariling kayod talaga ito para sa amin.”

In multiple interviews, Senator Go acknowledged former President Rodrigo Duterte as his enduring political mentor, though he stressed that Duterte never interfered in his decisions or legislative work.

“Sabi n’ya, ‘hindi ako makikialam sa ‘yo, gawin mo lang ‘yung tama, just do what is right, hindi ka magkakamali’,” Senator Go recalled during his ANC interview. “At unahin ko po ‘yung interes ng Pilipino, unahin ko po ang interes ng bayan, hinding hindi ka magkakamali. God is good, God is fair, pinagpapala ang nagpapakumbaba.”

This sentiment echoed in his GMA News interview, where he said: “Maraming, maraming salamat po sa Panginoon, kay Allah. Pangalawa po, sa ating sambayanang Pilipinong patuloy pong nagtitiwala. At of course, kay dating Pangulong Duterte na naging mentor ko po sa pagseserbisyo.”

Pressed by TV5 on past reports that Duterte once urged him to consider the presidency, Senator Go downplayed such ambitions. “Wala akong ambisyon dahil Diyos lang nakakaalam. ‘Wag mong ambisyunin ‘yung mga bagay na ‘yan… Gawin mo lang ‘yung trabaho mo, trabaho lang po tayo. ‘Yan lang ang ginagawa ko,” he said.

“Masaya na po ako na na-reelect po ako dahil malaking bagay po ito sa akin bilang incumbent senator. Referendum po ito sa amin,” referring to the tide of support given to Duterte-allied candidates.  

Senator Go notes that his reelection bid may hopefully be an affirmation of his performance saying, “Ito po ‘yung pinaka-importanteng performance rating kung nagtrabaho ka ba sa loob ng anim na taon.”

Asked about his political allies who did not make it into the initial “Magic 12,” he expressed empathy. “Ako po’y nalulungkot rin po sa ibang mga kasamahan ko,” he told ANC. “Pero Diyos lang po nakakaalam. Lahat naman po Diyos lang po.”

As the Senate’s composition begins to take shape, Senator Go said he has not yet fully processed the implications. “Ito pa ‘yung panahon na mag-sink in pa ‘yan. Ako nga hindi pa (fully nagsisink-in),” he admitted. 

Amid the results and the heat of politics, he said he remains focused on service. “Ako naman, hindi n’yo naman ako naging problema. Trabaho naman po ako, unahin ko talaga ang pagseserbisyo kesa sa pulitika. ‘Yan po ang naging sikreto ko doon,” he said. 

“Inuuna ko muna ang pagseserbisyo kesa sa pulitika,” he stressed.

Throughout all his interviews, Senator Go circled back to a single, unpretentious theme: humility and sincere public service. “With all humility and sincerity, maraming salamat po sa ating mga kababayan,” he said. “Sipag lang at unahin po natin ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan.”