Court grants HK$1.5-M bail for Rep. Singson on drug rap

(Updated 11:54 pm) A Hong Kong court hearing the drug case against Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson on Thursday allowed the lawmaker to post a bail worth HK $1.5 million (P8.7 million). Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, father of the suspect who was there during the proceedings, told radio dzBB that the bail was granted after authorities determined that the actual weight of illegal drugs seized from his son was less than originally reported. "Noong tinimbang, noong una sinama iyong bote so malaking bagay iyon... Nung tinanggal [sa bote], bumaba kaya naging (When it was first weighed, the bottle was included so that made a big difference... When the bottle was excluded, it weighed less and the case became) bailable," Chavit said, adding that "more than 10 grams" were slashed off the original weight. The younger Singson was arrested upon arrival at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport on July 11, when he was allegedly found to possess 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of diazepam, commonly known as Valium. He was then charged with trafficking of dangerous drugs at the Tsuen Wan Magistracy's Courts pursuant to the Hong Kong Dangerous Drug Ordinance. Minus the bottle, Hong Kong authorities said the actual weight of cocaine that Ronald was carrying at the airport was 6.7 grams. Chavit said his son's camp would later be asking the court to downgrade his charges from illegal "drug trafficking" to "possession." The next hearing for the case was set for September 7. The older Singson praised the court for allowing his son to post bail, saying it would give their camp ample time to prepare for the trial proper. "Maganda naman ang resulta... magkakaroon na ng enough time para mapaghandaan ang trial para ma-amend ang charges," Chavit said. (The results were good... we will have enough time to prepare for the trial and to have the charges amended.)
'Allow wheels of justice to roll' After being temporarily freed, the lawmaker was brought to the immigration office in the afternoon for the processing of his papers. In an interview aired on GMA News' late evening newscast "Saksi," the younger Singson pleaded for the public not to judge him, saying the wheels of justice in the Chinese special administrative region should be allowed to take its own course. "Hayaan po nating umandar 'yung gulong ng hustisya dito sa Hong Kong. Mabuti naman po ang pagtakbo dito ng hustisya, wala namang whitewash", Rep. Singson said. (Let us allow the wheels of justice to roll here in Hong Kong. The process of justice runs well here, surely there's no whitewash.) Reporting from Hong Kong, GMA News' Joseph Morong said Ronald would be shelling out HK$1 million to pay the bail, while the remaining HK $500,000 is expected to come from two of his friends based in Hong Kong — Derick Wong and Ann Shek — who are the younger Singson's guarantors. Despite his temporary freedom, Ronald will have to stay in Hong Kong throughout the course of the trial and cannot return to the Philippines yet, Morong reported. While in Hong Kong, Ronald will be staying with Wong. The lawmaker will also be required to report daily to the North Park Police Station. The court also ordered him to surrender to authorities within six days all his travel documents. Ronald had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges. He also declined the offer of assistance from the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, but the Department of Foreign Affairs still said it will ensure that Singson’s rights are respected. Under Hong Kong laws, possession of dangerous drugs is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of seven years and a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000. The more serious offense of drug trafficking, on the other hand, carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a maximum fine of HK$5,000,000. House report Apart from Chavit, Ronald's rumored girlfriend, actress Lovie Poe, and Marikina Rep. Romero Federico Quimbo, also showed up at Thursday's hearing. Quimbo, who is expected to fly back to Manila from Hong Kong Thursday afternoon, said he will prepare a report to be submitted to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte about the status of the younger Singson's case. "Speaker Belmonte gives importance to the representation of the House of Representatives. Ayaw niya pabayaan ito at gusto niya maging pro-active. Kung kailangan niya magdisiplina, kailangan nya gawan ito ng hakbang (He doesn't want to neglect this, and he wants to be pro-active. He has to take some steps if he wants to keep discipline in the House)," Quimbo said. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ/LBG/JV, HS, GMANews.TV