Greco Antonious Beda Banta Belgica (born March 27, 1978) is a Filipino politician who most recently served as chairman of the

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) was an anti-corruption government agency of the Philippines which existed during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. History President Rodrigo Duterte created the Presidential ...

(PACC) under the

Duterte administration Rodrigo Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest t ...

from March to October 2021.

Education

He graduated from

San Beda College es, Universidad de San Beda , image = San Beda University seal.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = University Seal , latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ , former_names ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in Marketing and Commerce, and earned his postgraduate degree in International Trade and Commerce at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He was also one of 42 graduates who completed the pilot class of the Executive Master of Arts in National Security Administration (E-MNSA) at the

National Defense College of the Philippines The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) ( fil, Dalubhasaan ng Tanggulang Pambansa ng Pilipinas) is an educational, training, and research agency of the Philippine government located inside Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon ...

Political career

He was elected as Councilor of the

City of Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

at the age of 26 and was nicknamed "''Batang Magaling''". He lost reelection in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. Belgica ran as a candidate in the 2013 Philippine Senate election under the newly accredited

Democratic Party of the Philippines The Democratic Party of the Philippines is a center-right, populist political party in the Philippines founded in 2010 by Dr. Ernesto G. Ramos. It seeks to be an alternative to traditional politics. History The party was established in 2010 ...

, but failed to win a seat. One of Belgica's campaign promises was a

flat tax A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressiv ...

system for the Philippines; in particular, a simple, one-time, and one kind tax of not more than 10% only on net income on both individual and business profits. He also espouses belief in a limited and

decentralized Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

form of government, a

free market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any o ...

, and

Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

. He leads the campaign to convert the PDAF and other discretionary funds of politicians to tuition vouchers for all students and capital for families, individuals and businessmen. He believes that money and resources should be in the hands of people and not with politicians and government. Belgica is the Founder of the Truth and Justice Coalition (TJC), a non-stock, non-profit non-government organization which envisions a progressive government where corruption is abhorred and public accountability prevails. In the 2016 Senate election, he ran again for a senate seat as an independent candidate and supported

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

for President. But again, he failed to win a seat. On January 12, 2018, he was appointed Commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) under the

Office of the President of the Philippines The Office of the President of the Philippines (OP; fil, links=no, Tanggapan ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas), is an administrative, advisory, and consultative government agency that aids the president of the Philippines in performing their duty as he ...

. On October 30, 2018, he Founded the

Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (; abbreviated as PDDS) is a national political party in the Philippines accredited by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on October 30, 2018. It was founded by Presidential Anti-Corruption (PACC) Chairma ...

(PDDS), a national political party accredited by the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

(COMELEC) He resigned from his post in the PACC to run again for a Senate seat in the 2022 election. He ran under PDDS but lost, finishing 37th.

''Belgica v. Ochoa''

In 2013, nine petitions were filed before the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...

regarding the constitutionality of the

pork barrel ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English, and i ...

system. One of these petitions were filed by Belgica and his group. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the petitioners, with a unanimous vote of 14-0-1 abstain, and said that pork barrel system is unconstitutional. In its landmark decision G.R. No. 208566 the Supreme Court defined that the pork barrel funds are lump sum discretionary funds appropriated in both the executive and legislative department. It further held, that there two kinds of pork barrel funds. The executive lump sum discretionary funds and the legislative lump sum discretionary fund known as the PDAF. However, in his stint as commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Belgica stated that

Janet Lim-Napoles Janet Lim-Napoles (born Janet Luy Lim; January 15, 1964) is a Filipina businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) Scam. She was convicted of plunder for her involvement in the PDAF Scam a ...

, believed to have masterminded the PDAF Scam, is not really the 'mastermind', just 'willing beneficiary'.

Personal life

He is the son of Presidential Adviser for Religious Affairs, Grepor "Butch" Belgica. His younger brother, Atty. Jeremiah B. Belgica, is Director-General of the Anti-Red Tape Authority. An Elder at The Lord's Vineyard Covenant Community, a

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...

-based

Full Gospel The term Full Gospel or Fourfold Gospel is a theological doctrine used by some evangelical denominations that summarizes the Gospel in four aspects, namely salvation, sanctification, divine healing and second coming of Christ. Doctrine This term ...

church where his father is a Senior Elder, he is president of Yeshua Change Agents, a

non-government organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

involved in anti-drug campaigns, and advocating societal reform along Biblical principles. A health and wellness buff, his sporting interests include basketball, swimming, and

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

. He is also the founder of ReformPH Movement, and a member of th
Fraternal Order of Eagles

Filmography

Television

*''Bagong Pilipinas'' (

People's Television Network People's Television Network ( fil, Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship State broadcasting, state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, In ...

) (2017) *''Ireklamo Kay Greco'' (

DZRH News Television DZRH News Television, stylized as DZRHTV, is a Philippine pay television news channel owned by Manila Broadcasting Company. Its programs are primarily from MBC's flagship radio station DZRH and station-produced programs, occupied by the timesl ...

) (2016–2019) *''#GrecoLive'' (

DZRJ-AM DZRJ (810 AM) Radyo Bandido is a radio station owned and operated by Rajah Broadcasting Network through its licensee Free Air Broadcasting Network, Inc. Its studio is located at the 2nd Floor, Ventures Building 1, General Luna St. cor. Makati ...

) (2016) with CJ Santos

References

External links

Senatorial campaign
Official Facebook page for Greco Belgica for Senator Movement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belgica, Greco 1978 births Filipino Christian religious leaders People from Manila Living people Lakas–CMD politicians Democratic Party of the Philippines politicians Manila City Council members San Beda University alumni Heads of government agencies of the Philippines Duterte administration personnel