House panel to start ethics probe vs Rep. Singson

A committee at the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a resolution initiating moves to sanction Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, who pleaded guilty in his drug trafficking case in Hong Kong. The House committee on ethics and privileges under Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for an investigation on Singson even without a formal ethics complaint filed against him. The investigation is expected to start next week. With the approval of the resolution, the House panel has also decided to start investigation on Singson even without the Hong Kong court’s final decision on the case. Singson, who in July last year was caught carrying 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of Valium upon his arrival at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking before the Hong Kong District Court on Monday. The son of Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson said he went on a cocaine-and-gambling binge after attending an Usher concert in Manila he helped stage on July 9, frustrated by an argument with his girlfriend. He then decided to join a friend attending a poker tournament in Macau and was arrested while transiting through Hong Kong. The Hong Kong's District Court did not immediately sentence Singson pending testimony on whether he planned on consuming the cocaine or sharing it with others — a factor that could influence the length of his sentence. Some of Singson's colleagues had earlier urged him to resign due to his drug-related case in Hong Kong. Section 4 of the Hong Kong Drug Ordinance states that a person who admits to drug trafficking shall be fined $500,000 (more or less P22 million) and imprisonment for three years. - Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMANews.TV