MANILA, Philippines — After losing the presidential race in 2016, former Vice President Jejomar Binay is planning to return to public office next year.
The former vice president will be running as representative for the first district of Makati City in the May 2019 elections, according to spokesperson Joey Salgado.
Related Stories
Meanwhile, his daughter Makati Mayor Abigail Binay will be seeking reelection next year.
"In this morning's flag-raising ceremony at Makati City Hall, Mayor Abby Binay announced that she will run for re-election. She also said former Makati mayor and Vice President Jejomar Binay will return to public service," Salgado said.
Garnering more than 5.4 million votes in the 2016 national elections, the elder Binay placed fourth in the last presidential elections.
Binay conceded to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte four days after the election, when partial and unofficial tally of votes from the Commission on Elections transparency server showed that the latter was poised to win the presidency.
In March, anti-graft court Sandiganbayan filed charges against the former vice president and his son former Makati mayor Junjun Binay over the alleged building anomalies for the construction of the 1.3-billion Makati Science High School building.
The Binays were charged with four counts each of violation of Section 3 (e) Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and three counts each of falsification of public documents.
The former vice president is also on trial for the alleged overpriced cosntruction of the P2.2-billion Makati parking building
The Binays have denied allegations of corruption and have maintained that the charges were motivated by politics. — Patricia Lourdes Viray