Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson is out on bail for his cyberlibel charge, which he described as a way to intimidate him for speaking out on the flood control scandal.
The Quezon City Police District told NewsWatch Plus that Singson posted a ₱60,000 bail on Thursday, June 11, the same day he was arrested in Quezon City.
A regional trial court in Vigan City issued the arrest warrant. Details on the case have yet to be made available.
In a statement, Singson said he respected the legal process and that he voluntarily sought to post bail through the court. He said the judge refused to accept his bail and insisted that he must first undergo police processing.
“It is not true that I was arrested at my residence. What should have been a routine legal proceeding was an attempt to publicly humiliate me. Within minutes, my booking photograph was already circulating publicly. That does not happen without authorization,” he said.
Singson said he “will not be silenced” by the charge, and that his arrest is “a badge of honor.”
“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,” the businessman said.
“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 added.
Singson accused his former ally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as the mastermind of the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scam. He actively campaigned for Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2022 elections.
