Chavit Singson withdraws from Senate race due to health reasons
MANILA, Philippines – Former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson announced on Sunday, January 12, that he was withdrawing from the 2025 Senate race due to health reasons.
Singson, hospitalized due to pneumonia, said he didn’t want to sacrifice his health in the campaign. Despite this, the 83-year-old politician said he would continue doing public service, like providing electric vehicles to transport groups.
“Hindi po biro ang kampanya, lalo na ang trabaho ng isang senador, kung talagang magtatrabaho. Ayaw kong ipilit. Ang aking kalusugan ay maaring magdusa,” he told his supporters at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
(The campaign is no joke, especially the work of a senator, if you really intend to do the job. I don’t want to force it. My health might suffer.)
In the December 2024 Pulse Asia survey, Singson ranked between 22nd and 24th with a 11.5% voting preference. This was a marked an improvement from the October 2024 survey, where he placed between 33rd and 39th with just 6.1% support.
Despite his withdrawal, the Commission on Elections said that Singson’s name will remain on the ballot, and any votes he receives will be considered “stray.”
Singson gained national prominence in October 2000 when he exposed corruption in the administration of his former ally, then-president Joseph Estrada. His revelations about Estrada’s ties to gambling triggered a series of events that led to Estrada’s impeachment and eventual resignation in January 2001, after serving just under three years as president. – Rappler.com