House likely to go slow on Singson case

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives is unlikely to act soon on the case of Ilocos Sur Representative Ronald Singson, who is out on bail on drug charges in Hong Kong, a lawmaker said Friday.

Marikina Representative Romero Federico Quimbo, who attended the Thursday hearing where Singson, 41, was granted the HK$1-million bail, said that, “historically, the past (ethics) case(s) were acted upon after there was finality in judgment.”

“Although the House is not bound by jurisprudence, in that it can take a strong or soft line, what we see historically is that it (acting on a case) awaits the final judgment on the case,” he said in a phone interview Friday.

Quimbo cited the case of former Zamboanga del Norte Representative Romero Jaloslos, who was accused of raping an 11-year old in 1996.

While the Makati regional trial court found Jalosjos guilty in December 1997, it was only when the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction with finality in 2002 that his name dropped from the roster of members of the House.

Quimbo said he would submit his report to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Monday, including the facts of the case, “to guide the House leadership on what they should do after evaluation.”

He said that, according to the judge, Singson’s case remains serious even if the charges against him have been modified from drug trafficking to illegal possession.

Earlier, Quimbo said that recent findings showed Singson carried a smaller volume of cocaine than originally. On reexamination, Hong Kong authorities said Singson carried 6.7 grams of cocaine, not 26.1 grams.

Singson is not allowed to leave Hong Kong and must report to a police station every day.

Hong Kong residents Derrick Wong and Annie Sheo have agreed to secure the cash surety bond for the lawmaker.