Sentenced, Rep. Singson formally resigns from House

(Updated 7:20 p.m.) Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson has formally resigned as a member of the House of Representatives, less than a week after he was sentenced to 18 months in prison in Hong Kong for drug possession. Singson, in a letter to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. dated Feb. 28, said he reached the "painful decision" to quit his post in keeping with the "time-honored tradition" of Congress that ensures that its members come “with clean hands, clean minds and clean hearts." "I am resigning as a member of the House of Representatives in humble recognition of the nobility in character and purpose of the majority of my colleagues who kept their peace and prayed while waiting for the conclusion of my case in Hong Kong," he said in his resignation letter. The letter was faxed to Belmonte's office, which officially received it at 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, by Rep. Singson's lawyer, John Reading.
The "noisy few" In the same letter, Rep. Singson, son of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, also took a swipe at some of his "noisy" colleagues who made moves to oust him from the chamber even before the Hong Kong court handed down the sentence. "I am resigning not because I am succumbing to the pressure of the noisy few among my honorable colleagues. My resignation is a fulfillment of my promise to my father," he said. He likewise thanked his fellow congressmen for their "continued friendship and moral support." He said he chose to quit his post "for the sake of the Filipino people." "I am tendering my resignation as a congressman for the sake of my countrymen, the Filipino people, especially my constituents in the first district of Ilocos Sur, who look up to the members of Congress with respect," he said. Speaker Belmonte will have to read Rep. Singson’s resignation letter before the plenary and inform House members of the convicted lawmaker's decision to quit his post before his name is formally dropped from the rolls. Rep. Singson was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison by the Hong Kong Wan Chai District Court for trafficking cocaine and Valium in the Chinese territory. He was arrested in July last year at Chek Lap Kok Airport after authorities seized 6.67 grams of cocaine from him. In his defense, he said he went on a cocaine-and-gambling binge after attending an Usher concert in Manila that he helped organize on July 9. He said he was frustrated by an argument with his girlfriend, actress Lovi Poe. He said he then decided to join a friend who was going to attend a poker tournament in Macau, but he was arrested while transiting through Hong Kong. Another Singson as 'caretaker' Governor Singson, meanwhile, said a relative, Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson Jr., may act as "caretaker" of his son’s legislative district while waiting for a duly elected replacement. "Pwede si Owen (Eric Singson Jr.), pero pag-uusapan pa," he told reporters on Tuesday. Singson Jr., representative of the second district of Ilocos Sur, is the son of the governor’s cousin, former Rep. Eric Singson. Gov. Singson also said he will consult other local officials from the province to decide who they will field in the special elections that will be held to elect his son’s replacement. "We have to meet all the provincial and municipal leaders and let them decide," he said. Belmonte on Monday said he will instruct the House committee on electoral reforms and suffrage to pass a resolution asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct special polls in the convicted lawmaker’s district once his position is declared vacant. Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento earlier said that a temporary “caretaker" can represent Rep. Singson’s legislative district before a special election is held to determine his replacement. — KBK/HS, GMA News