Bello may leave post for Senate bid – Rody

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III may resign next month to focus on his bid for a Senate seat in the 2019 midterm elections.

This is according to President Duterte himself, who mentioned Bello’s name – whether mistakenly or deliberately is uncertain – when reporters asked for his

comment on the call of some sectors for Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol’s resignation.

“Hintayin na lang ninyo (Just wait) because October, I think Bello is going to run for senator. There’s no need to fire him. Just wait – September, October,” Duterte answered.

A government official who vies for an elective position must resign from his post to avoid getting undue advantage over opponents. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier announced that the tentative dates for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the midterm polls would be from Oct. 1 to 5. It will come seven months before the May 13 elections next year.

When PDP-Laban presented its potential senatorial bets last Friday to Duterte, their party chairman, neither Bello nor Piñol was included in the list.

Bello denied that he would run for a national post. Early this month, he also said he was not stepping down even after recruitment agency owner Amada Araneta accused him of graft.

The accusation stemmed from the complaint that Bello, also head of the GRP panel for the suspended peace process, accepted P100,000 in cash and a cellphone as Christmas gifts.

The Presidential Anti-Crime Commission started its investigation into the complaint as Bello denied receiving money from any recruitment firm.