Belmonte: Rep. Singson to resign from post this week

(Updated 8:00 p.m.) Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson will resign from his post at the House of Representatives after he was convicted in Hong Kong last week for a drug-related charge, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on Monday. Belmonte said this was revealed by Singson's father, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, whom he met on Sunday night. "He (Governor Singson) told me that his son will resign after the judge has ruled. He said that kukunin na niya yung (resignation) letter. He said he's going to send somebody to Hong Kong to talk to his son," Belmonte said. The elder Singson will submit his son's formal resignation letter to the Speaker's office within the week, Belmonte said. Once he receives the letter, Belmonte said he will ask the House secretary-general to drop Rep. Singson's name from the rolls of the chamber, which means that Rep. Singson's post will be considered vacant. "I will probably make a statement to the House telling them that I received the letter of resignation and order the secretary general to remove his name from the rolls," Belmonte said. After the procedure at the plenary, Belmonte said he will instruct the House committee on electoral reforms and suffrage to pass a resolution asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to call for special elections in Singson’s legislative district. The ethics committee hearing, which was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, will likewise be deferred pending receipt of Rep Singson's resignation letter, according to Belmonte. Rep. Singson was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison by the Hong Kong Wan Chai District Court for trafficking cocaine and Valium in the Chinese territory. Rep. Singson was arrested in July last year at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport after authorities found that he was carrying the illegal drugs. In his defense, Rep. Singson said he went on a cocaine-and-gambling binge after attending an Usher concert in Manila that he helped stage on July 9. At that time, he said he was frustrated because of an argument he had with his girlfriend, actress Lovi Poe. Rep. Singson said he decided to join a friend who was scheduled to attend a poker tournament in Macau but was arrested while transiting through Hong Kong. – VVP/KBK, GMA News