Poll protests filed vs Singson, Gwen

MANILA, Philippines - Election protests have been filed with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) against Reps. Ronald Singson of Ilocos Sur and Gwen Garcia of Cebu.

The newest cases brought to 33 the total number of House members whose qualification or election is being challenged either by private citizens or candidates who lost in the May 13 elections.

Lawyer Bertrand Baterina, who lost to Singson, filed the case against the Ilocos Sur lawmaker. He had filed a similar complaint with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) before his opponent was proclaimed.

In the complaint, Baterina said Singson is not qualified to sit as a member of Congress since a Hong Kong court had convicted him of drug trafficking and that he served time in jail in the former British colony.

“Clearly, Singson was sentenced by final judgment for an act contrary to justice, modesty or good morals, with much weight considering that at the time of his arrest and subsequent conviction, he was incumbent representative of the first district of Ilocos Sur,” he said.

He cited the case of Eduardo Rodriguez, who was a candidate for Quezon governor and who the Comelec had disqualified for having been convicted in the United States of insurance fraud.

Singson was arrested at Chek Lap Kok International Airport in July 2010 after airport authorities found he was carrying 6.67 grams of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, and in February 2011, a Hong Kong court gave him a reduced sentence of 18 months in jail, which was further reduced by prison officials due to good behavior.

He returned to the country in January 2012 on a private executive jet that landed at the Laoag airport in Ilocos Norte, before proceeding to Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

His brother Ryan won in the special election conducted by the Comelec in May 2011 for the post he vacated. Ryan is now the new governor of Ilocos Sur, replacing his father, Luis Singson.

In the case of Cebu’s Garcia, who is former governor of her province, Geraldine Yapha, a former town mayor and who lost to  Garcia in the congressional race in the third district, filed the election protest against her.

Garcia ran under a local party and Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, while her opponent was the candidate of President Aquino’s Liberal Party.

The 31 other House members facing election protests include Diosdado Arroyo of Camarines Sur, Lani Mercado-Revilla of Cavite, Edgar Erice of Caloocan, Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Sur, Mark Enverga of Quezon, Roman Romulo of Pasig City, Harlin Abayon of Northern Samar, Evelyn Plaza-Mellana of Agusan del Sur, and Vicente Alcala, also of Quezon.