Double whammy on the Lower House

Literally and figuratively, the Lower House of Congress has incredibly been a victim of double whammy of sorts.

The first was when Congress got slammed by the explosive blows when Surigao del Norte Congressman Ruben Ecleo had been involved in graft and corruption way back as municipal mayor in Dinagat Island; later, for parricide over the death of his wife Alona in Cebu City.

The second whammy was when Ilocos Sur Congressman Ronald Singson got involved in and found guilty of drug-trafficking in Hongkong. And both lawmakers stood for “the evil eye” karma or jinx which solons are supposed to be immune from.

Before Ecleo’s final conviction for three graft and corruption cases by the Supreme Court on appeal, whoever had forecast such final judgments to have befallen him? Remember, the much graver case of parricide has somehow, so far, not put him in temporary detention because of the perplexing incredulity of a lady judge to allow him bail on the pretext that the sick Ecleo was a “walking time bomb”. But now that his 3 graft judgments have become final and executory, it appears that his freedom on lease, has become a dye cast at last.

Or, can Ecleo still wriggle free? Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales opined that the “House will strike out Ecleo from its rolls as soon as the House receives a certificate of finality upholding the conviction”. However, such factor may still stretch like a rubber band depending on the SC resolve on the expected motions for reconsideration, more than once.

Rep. Gonzales also stressed that since the conviction includes perpetual disqualification from any public office, his name would be deleted from the rolls, no need of coursing it through the ethics proceedings; and, subjects him to arrest since the penalty is more than 6 years, beyond the pale of parliamentary immunity while Congress is in session.

Many are still chafing over the ease with which Ecleo has been granted P1M bail in the parricide case. Even without counting the “murders” of Alona’s parents and brother, and/or the more than twenty “victims” during the “resistance” to his arrest at the Dinagat Island enclave as not attributable to the supreme master’s clique, the alleged humane treatment of Ecleo as “walking time bomb” is all baloney about his health.

As to when the minions of the law shall act, or when the mill of justice shall grind to mete out justice, remains a tricky game. As noted Cebu trial lawyer, Atty. Amadeo “Matoy” D. Seno jested: “There’s no such thing as finality of judgment, except for Bar exams purposes”.

Meanwhile, another recent whammy in the lower house was the young son of then Ilocos Sur Congressman Luis “Chavit” Singson, now Ilocos Sur governor, just lately “resigned” from the House, then Rep. Ronald Singson. Before his delayed resignation letter, insistent clamor among his colleagues to oust him for his Hongkong arrest over 6.67 grams cocaine possession en flagrante, became loud.

When the Hongkong case was still unresolved, Governor “Chavit” had worked on his son’s “resignation” from the House. The Singson’s immediate quandary was whether to resign before the judgment on the cocaine trafficking, or to do so after the plea. Eventually, Ronald opted to plead guilty to bringing drugs to Hongkong – tantamount to trafficking – “for his own personal use”. HK District Court Judge Joseph Yau seemed lenient with a one year and 6 months sentence, “siding” obviously with the “own consumption” plea.

Thereafter, his colleague at the lower chamber somehow heaved a sigh of relief that spared its ethics committee from conducting expulsion proceedings… Owing to court convictions in their respective cases, Congressmen Ruben Ecleo and Ronald Singson are deemed resigned from their legislative posts, except that Ecleo appears to be “stretching” the process.

Perhaps, it’s high time to stress that even the high profiles in public governance have “limitations” to their power and are not that invulnerable from suit.

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