Despite raps, ex-PCGG chief to join presidential race

MANILA, Philippines - Former Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairman Camilo Sabio will run for president in the 2016 polls.

Speaking to reporters, the 78-year-old Sabio said he is seeking the endorsement of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) to lead the country and to serve the less fortunate.

“I dreamt of this and this is the time to realize my dreams,” he said.

Sabio said an excellent educational background is his edge against his prominent competitors.

He is ready to wage a national campaign and fight more prominent candidates, he added.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo named Sabio as PCGG chairman in 2005 to replace Haydee Yorac, who had died of cancer.

The charges against him in court will not hinder his presidential bid, he added.

Sabio has pending cases before the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.

Two months ago, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the filing of graft charges against him for his alleged attempt to influence his brother, Court of Appeals Associate Justice Jose Sabio Jr., into helping a litigant in a pending case.

The case has yet to be filed as Sabio is still being given a chance to move for a reconsideration of the decision.

At the Sandiganbayan, Sabio is awaiting the decision on graft and malversation cases against him. The Fourth Division is expected to issue a resolution soon after three years of trial.

The cases arose from his alleged misuse of some P12 million in government money, including allegedly embezzling PCGG funds.

In 1998, Sabio was invited to run for president, but declined the offer due to financial constraints. He was the vice presidential running mate of former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairman Manuel Morato under the Partido Bansang Marangal. – Robertzon Ramirez, Michael Punongbayan