Rep. Singson gets 18 months for drug trafficking in HK

(Updated 8:01 p.m.) A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson to a year and a half in jail for trafficking cocaine, a report in GMA News' "24 Oras" said. Singson, 42, got a lighter sentence from Wanchai District Court Judge Joseph Yau after he pleaded guilty to the charge of drug trafficking while insisting that he did not intend to sell the drugs he brought with him to Hong Kong. The sentence was broken down as one year and four months for cocaine and two months for the two tablets of diazepam, commonly known as Valium, that were also seized from him in July 2010 when he entered Hong Kong. Yau said the severity of the cocaine possession warranted a heavier sentence, but mitigating factors included Singson's political career, clean criminal record, and the fact that the drugs were for his own use. "He doesn’t treasure what he has and indulges himself in dangerous drugs," a Reuters report quoted Yau as telling the packed courtroom. Earlier in the afternoon, Singson arrived at court ahead of the sentencing hoping for a light sentence. "I do not want to preempt the judge with regards to the sentencing. I am just, of course, appealing for a light sentence and am hoping. But as I said, I can't preempt the judge on that one," he said.
Fall from grace Yau said it was sad to see Singson, who had "virtually everything" including a movie star girlfriend and a two-year-old daughter, fall from grace. Singson’s family, led by his father Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, became "emotional" after the Hong Kong judge read the sentence. The elder Singson is a well-known political heavyweight who helped bring down former President Joseph Estrada in 2001. Interviewed by reporters, Gov. Singson said his son "has suffered a lot in the past." Asked if they would appeal the decision, Gov. Singson said: I really don't know, the lawyer is still talking to him. And all I can say is that he has suffered a lot already and I don't know how he will take this." He said they were not surprised with the decision. "It was expected. Nobody is above the law." The younger Singson was arrested in July last year at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok after authorities seized 6.67 grams of cocaine from him. In his defense, he said he went on a cocaine-and-gambling binge after attending an Usher concert in Manila he helped stage on July 9, frustrated by an argument with his girlfriend, actress Lovi Poe. He said he then decided to join a friend who was going to attend a poker tournament in Macau, but he was arrested while transiting through Hong Kong. No immediate sanction In Manila, Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, chairperson of the House ethics and privileges committee, said there will be “no immediate sanction" to be imposed on Singson despite his sentence. Aumentado said the House panel will just continue hearing the ethics complaint filed against Singson to determine possible sanctions against him. “We have to follow due process, but we might hand out a decision faster than that of the Hong Kong court," he told GMA News Online in a phone interview. The hearing on Singson’s ethics complaint will be held next Tuesday, Aumentado said. A two-thirds vote of the lower chamber’s 283 members is required to either suspend or expel Singson from the House. — with a report from Reuters/KBK/VS, GMA News