TACLOBAN CITY- A backpack bag issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Eastern Visayas among its employees has become an issue among netizens.
The backpack or haversack is being described as a ‘go bag’ which, apparently, did not sit well to some netizens who claimed that labeling it as such is a subtle way of promoting the senatorial bid of former presidential assistant Christopher ‘Bong’ Go.
“GO Bag is, obviously, another epaltactic,” one netizen said, reacting to the bag distribution made by the DILG, which started on Monday (Jan.14), for its 390 employees.
Go is running for senator in this year’s election under the administration party PDP-Laban.
Recent surveys indicated that despite the endorsement of his former boss, he remain to be outside probable winners.
“A go bag has been called as a go bag way before anybody know of Bong Go. If there is a candidate named as Go, it’s not our fault. It’s called a go bag because it’s something ready-to-go at a moment’s notice,” Ian Colasito, DILG-8 assistant chief for local government monitoring and evaluation division.
“We at DILG, we don’t involve in politics. Ours is to implement programs (which include disaster preparedness),” he added.
The go bag distributed to the DILG employees consist of bandages, plastic bottle and envelope, whistle, safety pins, scissors, aqua tablets, blanket, AM/FM radio, flashlight, and a Swiss knife, among others.
Colasito said that the distribution of the go bag is their own initiative considering that Eastern Visayas is prone to disaster like typhoon.
Months ahead of the May 13,2019 elections, posters and tarpaulins bearing the name and face of the senatorial aspirant could be seen practically anywhere.
Detained Senator Laila de Lima has earlier raised a question as to where Go sources his campaign fund as he aim for a Senate seat in this year’s midterm elections.
Go, however, said that his well-meaning friends and supporters are helping him finance his senatorial bid.
Colasito said that they feels bad that their go bag distribution, is being linked to a particular senatorial candidate.
He added that the procurement of these bags was sourced from the funds of their conditional matching grant program.
He, however, could not recall the amount used for the procurement of the items.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
