Probe on airport personnel over Singson drug issue starts

Immigration officials on Wednesday said they have started looking into Philippine airport personnel's possible collusion with Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, who was arrested last month in Hong Kong allegedly for carrying illegal drugs. "We are conducting an investigation right now, including the issue about Congressman Singson's passing through the airport," said Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking national task force chair Jonathan Lledo at a press conference in Manila. Bureau of Immigration officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said those found to have conspired with Singson to sneak in narcotics to Hong Kong would be meted with penalties. "If it can be proven that officials and personnel have knowledge that Mr. Singson was taking out from the country illegal drugs; if there was any personnel involved by any way of actual knowledge or indirect knowledge, then that Immigrationn official or personnel shall be charged administratively or criminally," said Ledesma. Earlier, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima questioned why Singson managed to leave the Philippines while in possession of illegal narcotics. A few days later, a GMA News report aired a closed-circuit television camera footage of Singson slipping past security checks at the airport. On July 11, the son of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson was arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly carrying 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of prescription medication Valium, a depressant used mainly for treating anxiety. Anti-trafficking measures During Wednesday's news briefing, Ledesma and Lledo both announced the abolition of the BI's Migration Compliance and Monitoring Group (MCMG) because its personnel were supposedly "part of human trafficking activities." "There are reports saying there was complicity among immigration officials at the MCMG. There was a directive issued by the Justice secretary to abolish the group and establish a different unit," said Ledesma. He added that the MCMG only had "watchdog" powers and cannot take a proactive stance against trafficking. Thus, the group will be replaced by a new unit called the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit, said Ledesma. The Philippines was placed by the US State Department under its Tier 2 watchlist. If the country does not improve the prosecution of human trafficking suspects by February 11, the US State Department might downgrade it to Tier 3 and withdraw some $250-million in aid to combat trafficking. (See: RP in danger of losing $250-M US aid vs trafficking) — Sophia Dedace/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV