By Cynthia Balana, Inquirer Northern Luzon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
His days as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives are numbered.
Sentenced on Thursday to
18 months in jail in Hong Kong for drug trafficking, Rep.
Ronald Singson is preparing to resign his House seat, his father, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit†Singson, said hours after a Hong Kong judge court pronounced the sentence.
Interviewed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer by telephone from Hong Kong, the elder Singson said his son would quit his post as Ilocos Sur’s first district representative.
“He had long thought of resigning,†the governor said. “We are just readying the documents needed.â€
The elder Singson said he would personally talk with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on his son’s return to the House of Representatives, in which he would make arrangements before resigning.
Singson was meted out a jail term of one year and four months for bringing 6.67 grams of cocaine into the southern Chinese territory on July 11, 2010, and an additional two months for the two tablets of the prohibited narcotic Nitrazepam which he also carried.
In his ruling, which he took 45 minutes to read, Wan Chai District Court Judge Joseph Yau said the prison term should be at least two years and six months but he decided to give a “discount†by giving credit to the congressman’s guilty plea, his “positive character,†his clear criminal record, and his being a member of the House of Representatives.
It was an ironic twist to the political career of the lawmaker who a few years ago filed a bill in the House, denouncing illegal drugs as one of society’s most pernicious evils.
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Topic: Filipino Congressman Ronald Singson Sentenced to 18 Months Jail in Hong Kong (Read 1002 times)