MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the ethics committee would tackle the case of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson as soon as it gets its chairman and a complaint is filed against the neophyte congressman who is awaiting trial in Hong Kong on drug charges.
Belmonte also revealed that a member of the minority might be appointed chairman of the committee “in the interest of transparency.”
“We are studying the case (of Singson). I have consulted a couple of lawyers, but we are waiting and we say let us give all the chances to our colleague to prove his case in Hong Kong,” Belmonte told reporters.
He said he obtained his information about the detained Ilocos Sur congressman only from the media.
“The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), as we understand it, has come to see him offering the assistance of the Philippine government and he has declined because he has a private lawyer. Even we here are ready to talk to any member of his family, but so far nobody has done that,” he said.
“Meantime, let us give Congressman Singson the benefit of the doubt under our laws. He’s still presumed innocent over here. We will await official word, so that’s the situation right now,” he said.
He added that the committee on ethics is still being organized.
“All committee chairmanships, 100 percent, go to the majority. But I would like to state here for the first time that in the interest of transparency in the House, it is my intention to ask, to turn over the committee on ethics, which has something to do with the internal discipline of the House, to the minority,” he said.
Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua of the Lakas Kampi-Christian and Muslim Democrats is likely to be named chairman of the ethics committee.
Minority lawmakers said they had requested from Belmonte the chairmanships of the ethics and good government committees in keeping with the practice in other parliaments where such panels are given to the opposition to enhance their role as fiscalizers.
Belmonte, however, denied this and said he was the one who offered the chairmanship to the opposition bloc.
“They never requested for a single one, nobody requested anything, I offered this to the minority,” he said.
He admitted the reorganization of the House leadership was a daunting task considering that there are 227 congressmen.
“It’s a big majority but we will try to be as equitable as possible,” Belmonte said.
Under the rules of the ethics committee of previous Congresses, a complaint from a House member or a private citizen was required for the panel to investigate a congressman or congresswoman for alleged misconduct.
Some House members said the chamber would be put in a bind if Hong Kong convicts Singson.
“Then we will have to act and perhaps expel him, otherwise, we will be the object of ridicule,” a militant lawmaker said.
Hong Kong authorities arrested Singson after they found prohibited drugs on him upon his arrival at the Chek Lap Kok airport on July 11. He has since been detained.
He has appeared once in a Hong Kong court, which denied him bail. His next court appearance is next month.
Television network GMA-7 has quoted Singson’s father, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson, as saying that his son has admitted possessing illegal drugs to lighten a possible jail sentence.
The congressman is reportedly facing a jail term of three to eight years and a fine of P3 million to P30 million.
Double standard
The Migrante International said DFA showed its “double standard” treatment of troubled Filipino workers when it offered to help Singson.
Garry Martinez, Migrante chairman, said the DFA has not given the same assistance to thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are having problems abroad.
Martinez recalled that when they called the attention of the DFA to the case of the 195 Filipinos jailed in China on drug cases last year, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos simply advised the workers to “behave in prison to get pardon.”
He said 10 of the 195 OFWs were eventually sentenced to death while some were meted prison terms of 44 years to life.
Martinez said 55 of the beleaguered OFWs are still undergoing trial without legal assistance from the DFA.
“How the DFA treated our OFWs is a far cry from the special treatment being given now to Singson. To add insult to injury, Conejos seems to be appealing to Singson to accept their services despite the latter having already denied any help from the DFA because he obviously can afford to hire his own legal counsel,” he said. “Was this kind of vigilance and attention granted our OFWs when they so requested and required?”
Martinez lambasted Conejos’ “misleading portrayal of a caring image when quite the opposite is the reality.”
He said Conejos had also shown indifference to the cases of Edmar Aquino and Rose Jane Mahilum in Iran and Jason Pineda in Saudi Arabia.
In a dialogue in January, Martinez said Conejos bluntly stated that “it is the DFA’s policy not to provide assistance to cases of OFWs who are involved in prohibited drugs.”
“We are saddened by the impression that Conejos’ reaction to the more popular case of Singson, contrary to how he handled the above-mentioned cases, is mere grandstanding,” Martinez said.
“We are thereby again asking the government that proper and urgent assistance be extended to Aquino, Mahilum, Pineda and the 195 OFWs jailed in China,” he said.
Martinez said the OFWs should benefit from section 25 of Republic Act 8042 which created the P100 million Legal Assistance Fund for OFWs in distress.
“Most OFWs who are forced to work as drug mules or couriers are either in distress or victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking,” he said. with Jose Rodel Clapano and Paolo Romero