Manila: A migrant workers' organisation reminded the government of its policy concerning Filipinos implicated in drug cases in China, in the wake of the reported arrest in Hong Kong of a lawmaker who allegedly smuggled banned substances.

Migrante International Chairperson Garry Martinez said the government in January 2010 had started to observe a policy of not providing assistance, legal or otherwise, to Filipinos implicated in drug smuggling in China.

The move had been made upon the recommendation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to discourage Filipinos from smuggling drugs into China.

Manila however, made a complete turnaround on this policy when Esteban Conejos, Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued a statement that the government was willing to provide legal assistance to Representative Ronaldo Singson.

Special treatment

"This smacks of double standards for the government. Apparently, it is willing to help a lawmaker — already a person of strong influence — while on the other hand, it had said that it will not assist Filipinos who were arrested abroad for smuggling drugs," Martinez said.

Martinez said that the DFA allocating special treatment to Singson would not be fair for Filipinos languishing in jails in the Chinese mainland.

Singson had been arrested by authorities on July 11 at the Hong Kong International Airport for smuggling 26.1 grammes of cocaine, in addition to two tablets of the regulated prescription drug valium or diazepam.

He had been charged with violating Hong Kong's Dangerous Drug Ordinance. Martinez said that when they first brought the case of the 195 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) — jailed in China due to drug-related cases — to the DFA's attention last year, Conejos gave them a rebuff and instead advised them to "behave in prison to get pardon."

Of the 195 Filipinos in jails in China, 10 had been sentenced to death without reprieve, while 56 were given the chance to be reprieved in two years. Thirty were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 44 were meted 15 years in jail. The 55 others are still undergoing court hearings.

Singson, who represents a congressional district in Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines belongs to an influential family. His father, Luis "Chavit" Singson is a governor in the same province and is known to have close ties with erstwhile president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Chavit once enjoyed the confidence of Arroyo's predecessor Joseph Estrada until the two had a fall-out in late 2000.

The discord eventually led to Chavit turning his back on Estrada and accused him of benefiting from lottery proceeds.