Chavit Singson: Libel case won't stop flood control exposé
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Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson on Friday alleged that a cyber libel case filed against him was intended to silence his criticism of alleged anomalies in government flood control projects, vowing to continue pressing for accountability despite his recent arrest.
Singson, 84, earlier posted bail following his arrest by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on the strength of a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 in Vigan City for alleged violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The court set bail at P60,000, which he immediately posted.
“If this administration believes that arresting me and filing a cyber libel case will silence me, they are mistaken,” Singson said.
“I wear this arrest as a badge of honor,” he added.
The former governor disputed police reports that he was arrested at his Quezon City residence, saying he voluntarily went to a police station to post bail and comply with legal procedures.
“What should have been a routine legal proceeding was an attempt to publicly humiliate me through the unauthorized circulation of my booking photograph,” the former governor said.
Singson also questioned what he described as unusual circumstances surrounding the case, including the designation of a judge from outside his home province and the speed with which the proceedings advanced.
Authorities have yet to publicly disclose details of the cyber libel complaint or identify the complainant.
In his statement, Singson tied the filing of the case to his months-long campaign alleging corruption in flood control projects and his accusations against high-ranking government officials.
“As I intensified my calls for a full investigation into the flood control controversy and sought answers regarding the use of flood control funds intended to protect Filipino communities from flooding, efforts to discredit and intimidate me soon followed,” he said.
The former governor previously criticized the government's flood control program this year, repeatedly claiming that billions of pesos allocated for flood mitigation projects were lost to corruption.
His allegations became a focal point of a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry previously led by Sen. Ping Lacson.
Singson had earlier accused several influential officials of involvement in the alleged scheme and even publicly tagged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the supposed “mastermind,” a claim Malacañang has not substantiated and which the President has not publicly addressed.
The Senate inquiry, however, was postponed in April after Singson failed to submit a sworn affidavit and supporting documents that he had promised to provide to the committee.
Lacson said the hearing could not proceed without the evidence Singson claimed to possess.
The controversy emerged amid renewed public scrutiny of flood control projects following severe flooding in several parts of the country despite decades of government spending on flood mitigation infrastructure.
Singson argued that instead of addressing allegations of corruption, authorities were targeting critics.
“Sa halip na ipaliwanag kung saan napunta ang bilyon-bilyong piso ng taumbayan, mas inuuna pang habulin ang mga kritiko upang ilihis ang atensyon ng publiko,” he said.
He maintained that the real issue was not the cyber libel complaint but accountability over public funds.
Singson did not identify specific government officials whom he believes were responsible for the alleged anomalies, but he pledged to continue pursuing what he called the “truth” behind the controversy.
“No arrest, no case, and no amount of political pressure will stop me from pursuing the truth and uncovering who the real mastermind is behind this scandal,” he said.
