We had the honor of attending last week's celebration of General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa's birthday in Camp Crame and there, we saw with our own eyes, the president whom I imagined to be like the godfather, ala Marlon Brando, in Sicilian style “Cosa Nostra,” surrounded by his close and trusted friends. There I realized that there are only three men who wield the most influence on the chief executive: Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, the secretary of the Presidential Management Staff; Fr. Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr., Cabinet secretary and chairman of the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council; and General dela Rosa, director-general of the PNP. Of course, there are others, like Secretary Carlos Dominguez and the other Cabinet members. But the triumvirate is the key to the source of power.
This guy Bong Go is the only one who could approach the president and whisper something to his ear and nobody would dare to stop him, regardless of what the president is doing, even if the Japanese emperor or the US president is in front of President Duterte. Bong Go is with the president 24/7 -- even when the chief is sleeping. He is the only person who could wake the president up. Not even any of the four presidential children can do that. A graduate of La Salle where he obtained a bachelor's degree in management, Bong is the grandson of August Tesoro, a godfather of the president himself. Tesoro founded the biggest printing company in Davao. His loyalty to the president has been tried and tested since he served as mayor and later congressman. He has been Duterte’s aide and executive assistant since 1998. Dubbed as the national photobomber and the ''pambansang alalay'', he is perennially with the president anytime, anywhere.
Father Evasco is a product of the San Carlos Major Seminary where he earned his AB Philosophy and Theology. He was ordained in 1970 and was assigned parish priest in Dauis, Baclayon and Catigbian, all in Bohol. A military raid of the convent led him to join the rebel movement. He became a card-bearing member of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA. He was arrested in 1983 in Midsayap, Cotabato while solemnizing marriage to his comrades. He was prosecuted for the crime of rebellion by then fiscal Rody Duterte who learned to respect such a man of principles. President Cory released Fr. Jun in 1986. He served Mayor Duterte in various capacities. Then he went home and was elected mayor of Maribojoc, Bohol in 2007, 2010 and 2013. President Rody chose him to be his Cabinet secretary and later concurrently as HUDCC head.
The last is General Bato himself, from Bato, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, a son of a poor family, who struggled his way. He earned a bachelors' degree in public administration from the Mindanao State University. He joined the PMA Singtala Class and earned a Master’s in Public Administration and a doctorate in Developmental Administration from Southeastern University in Davao. He served in various capacities, including being police chief of Davao City from 2012 to 2013.
These three men are the closest friends of the president. More than the so-called San Beda Mafia or the Davao Junta, this triumvirate is the surest door that could lead one to the source of power. These three are perhaps the only ones who can have a presidential audience anytime they see a need to see the big chief. Whatever these three men say, that is what matters most, at least to the president.