Chavit Singson makes another bid for Senate seat

MANILA, Philippines — Former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson has filed his certificate of candidacy in an an other attempt to secure a seat in the Senate.

Singson, a businessman, filed his certificate of candidacy on Monday, October 7, at the Manila Hotel Tent. This was after announcing his intention to run for the Senate on August 21, starting he received the endorsement of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Singson is not running under any party, but is grateful for Duterte's endorsement. He also claimed to have helped Marcos in his presidential bid.

"Marcos planned to [run as] VP, but I told him, do so as president. If Sara [Duterte] files [for president], you'd have to back down, [but] I'll have the leverage to talk to Sara so she does it instead," he claimed, in an interview with reporters at the Comelec filing venue.

The businessman also said he would be thankful if Marcos will also endorse him.

Singson first ran for a Senate seat in 2007 under "Team Unity," a coalition of candidates aligned with former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

During the 2007 polls, he finished in 24th place, receiving 4,353,644 votes.

Blowing the whistle on Estrada

Singson is widely regarded as one of the key individuals responsible for former President Joseph Estrada’s eventual ouster.

In October 2000, the former governor publicly accused Estrada of plotting to assassinate him after a falling-out over their share of jueteng and tobacco revenues.

He also confessed to being Estrada's collector of those revenues in Luzon.

Singson's revelations helped trigger protests against Estrada, leading to his impeachment trial and eventual overthrow during the Second EDSA Revolution in January 2001.

Recent involvements

The businessman made headlines in April 2024 after his convoy was caught by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) inspectors using the EDSA busway in Quezon City, resulting in Singson being fined P5,000.

Apologizing for the violation, Singson not only paid the fine but also offered a P200,000 cash reward to the MMDA officers for performing their duties, which the agency later accepted.

However, the Civil Service Commission later clarified that the MMDA's acceptance of the reward violated ethical regulations for public employees.