MANILA, Philippines - The House ethics committee will finally start hearings on calls to expel Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in Hong Kong on Monday, lawmakers said yesterday.
The panel, chaired by Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, approved the following day a resolution assuming jurisdiction over Singson’s case and to conduct motu proprio an inquiry on his status as a lawmaker amid mounting calls from his colleagues for him to resign.
The resolution was approved upon the motion of Deputy Speaker and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza during a meeting of the committee on Tuesday.
“We assumed jurisdiction over the case and we will motu proprio conduct an investigation on the Singson case without waiting for any complaint to be filed because this (drug case) already affects the honor and dignity of the House which my committee has the obligation to protect,” Aumentado told The STAR.
“On basis of evidence at hand, we may recommend appropriate penalties to be imposed if found guilty (of dishonorable conduct),” he said.
He said the initial hearing was set on Feb. 15 but he has already requested Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to have it advanced if possible.
Aumentado could not say who would be summoned as witnesses or resource persons in the ethics case, but that he would request the Department of Foreign Affairs to seek official copies of the police reports and court proceedings on Singson’s case.
“Given the fact that the offense he pleaded guilty is an offense that involves moral turpitude, the committee felt that it is its moral duty to act on this case of Rep. Ronald Singson, motu proprio, without necessarily having to cast aspersion unto his very person,” the resolution said.
Section 26 of the House Rules provides that “committees may also, motu proprio, upon the majority vote of all their members, conduct hearings and inquiries on issues and concerns within their respective jurisdictions.”
Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay said it was good that the panel took jurisdiction of the issue as the public might see the chamber as weak and coddling its members, who have committed illegal acts.
The Wan Chai District Court on Tuesday deferred the verdict on Singson, who insisted that the drugs found in his possession were for personal use even if the charge against him was trafficking.
District Court Judge Joseph Yau ordered the adjournment and reset the hearing to Feb. 17.
Singson assured of due process
Meanwhile, Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte said Singson is assured of due process despite mounting calls from his colleagues for him to resign or be expelled.
He said despite the guilty plea, the chamber must wait until the trial is completed and the judge has handed down his final ruling.
The Speaker added that he has already formally requested Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to obtain copies of the documents from Hong Kong on Singson’s case and the ethics committee will be given a free hand in conducting the hearing on calls to expel Singson.
House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said the ethics committee can proceed with the hearings since Singson already pleaded guilty.
“We don’t have to wait until the processes in the Hong Kong court is over. A colleague has entered a plea, which virtually an admission of drug charges against him and until he withdraws the plea, conviction is logical consequence,” Lagman said.
“The conviction would document the commission of an offense. Whether the offense was committed here or abroad is not material. The requirement of a lawmaker to be of good standing does not choose a particular territory,” he said.