CHIEF ENDORSER. President Rodrigo Duterte (left) raises the hand of former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Chair and Senate aspirant Greco Belgica during the filing of certificates of candidacyat Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City on Oct. 8, 2021. Belgica is hoping the President will join the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan senatorial slate so he can sustain the fight against corruption and illegal drugs. (King Rodriguez/Presidential photo) MANILA - Former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) chairperson Greco Belgica on Friday added his support to the ruling party's call for President Rodrigo Duterte to run for senator in 2022, saying it will sustain the fear in the hearts of corrupt government officials. Belgica said there is a need to sustain the gains of the Duterte administration, particularly against graft and corruption and illegal drugs, and deter criminals from going back to their old ways. "That is a welcome idea. I think all options are open right now. We wanted the president to run for vice president. We want him to run for senator. We just want him to be with us so that he could continue the reforms that he has started now in his term," Belgica, himself a senatorial candidate, said in a media forum. "Corrupt government officials will stop corruption because they are afraid to be exposed, to be caught by the President, by the PACC, and be exposed by the media with cases filed against them regardless of who they are," he added. He noted that because of the government's campaign against corruption, revenues increased. "You can ask (Bureau of) Customs about it. They've been consistently hitting their revenue targets. BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) has been increasing its revenue collection," he said. Duterte withdrew his plan to seek the second-highest post and opted to retire from politics once he steps down from office in June 2022, an announcement he made on October 2 when he accompanied former aide and Senator Christopher "Bong" Go in filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) for Vice President. Despite the planned retirement, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) is urging the President to join the senatorial race instead. In previous interviews, Go said Duterte is still weighing a number of factors, including the senatorial slate of the PDP-Laban. He added PDP-Laban officials would meet before November 15, the deadline to substitute candidates, and finalize the roster. Aside from Belgica, the other PDP-Laban senatorial aspirants who have filed their COC are House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, former Cabinet Secretaries John Castriciones (Agrarian Reform), Gregorio Honasan (Information and Communications Technology), and Mark Villar (Public Works and Highways), actor Robin Padilla, and broadcaster Rey Langit. (PNA) }