Chavit’s son missing

Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson revealed yesterday that his eldest son has been missing since Saturday, and expressed fears the Philippine National Police (PNP) had a hand in his son’s disappearance.

"I hope he is still alive," Singson said yesterday of his son Richard, 36, who has not been seen by the family for five days now.

Singson, whose multimillion-peso corruption charges against President Estrada have plunged the administration into its worst crisis ever, also said yesterday Mr. Estrada’s days as president are numbered.

"Erap will fall in November," predicted Singson. He cited the impeachment move in Congress, the mass protest actions against the President, the failing economy and the general feeling of unrest as the factors that would lead to Mr. Estrada’s downfall.

Singson has accused the President of receiving more than P400 million in payoffs from illegal gambling syndicates and taking P130 million in tobacco taxes intended for Ilocos Sur. The ensuing scandal has sent the economy on a tailspin.

Singson vowed that nothing can silence him now, not even his son’s reported disappearance.

"The only way they can silence me is to kill me," said Singson, who admitted that he has been receiving death threats from unknown people. He said he was not wearing a bullet-proof vest to protect him because it is "disgraceful" to be shot in the head.

Singson’s allies fear that the fate of casino employee Edgar Bentain, who is believed to have leaked the video footage of then Vice President Estrada gambling heavily at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City, may befall Richard.

Singson said he has information that presidential friend Charlie "Atong" Ang and Mr. Estrada himself were behind the abduction of Bentain.

Right after Mr. Estrada assumed office in June 1998, Bentain mysteriously disappeared. He was reportedly snatched by armed men shortly after he emerged from the Pagcor-run casino at the Grand Boulevard Hotel on Roxas Boulevard following a night out with friends.

Former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chief Manuel Morato said it was Bentain, who had access to the in-house closed-circuit security video system of the casino, who gave the video to him. Morato subsequently released it to the media shortly before the presidential polls of 1998, which Mr. Estrada won overwhelmingly.

‘PNP could be behind abduction’

"I’m still hoping that my son Richard is still alive. Whenever he would disappear in the past, it would not be for this long," Singson, a former close ally of Mr. Estrada, said at a lunch forum at the Westin Philippine Plaza.

"We suspect that the PNP could be behind the abduction," Singson told a radio interview after the press conference.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) said yesterday it is ready to help in the search for the younger Singson.

Malacañang also said that if a missing person report is filed with authorities, "they will act on it with dispatch."

Press Undersecretary Michael Toledo also expressed hope that Singson won’t point an accusing finger at Malacañang for his son’s disappearance.

But PAOCTF spokesman Bernabe Balba said the PAOCTF has so far not received any report about the alleged abduction.

Singson revealed that his son Richard, 36, who has a common-law wife and two children, is a "victim of drugs."

"The administration could be responsible for this (disappearance)," said Singson, who has seven children.

"We are all worried but we are still hoping that he will surface soon. I hope they will not harm him," Singson said. He admitted his son had been confined in drug rehabilitation centers, including the New Beginnings Center in Parañaque City.

He expressed fears that his son’s drug dependence could be used to trumpet false charges of drug trafficking against him (Chavit).

"This is what the military does, they can plant evidence," Singson pointed out.

Singson said that he has yet to report the matter to the police and that he is not yet fully aware of the details of the incident. He said even Richard’s common-law wife is not aware of his whereabouts. Richard was last seen at the family-owned LCS Building in San Andres, Manila last Saturday.

"I have asked people to look for him but they cannot find him. I hope he is still alive," said Singson, who had declined an earlier offer to be put under the government’s witness protection program.

He has also accused the police of plotting to kill him. He said he has received threats that his house or vehicle would be bombed.

Singson said he has received intelligence reports that drugs would be planted in the units of his Partas Bus Lines, which ply the Ilocos-Manila route.

"I am now sorry I even revealed that I owned the company," he added.

The Ilocos governor said that even with the threats now facing him and his family, he cannot beef up their security. He said the military and police have withdrawn their forces in his security detail, although a few loyal men have opted to stay on.

Singson also confirmed that copies of all the pieces of evidence he has against President Estrada has been furnished Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, in case he dies before completing his exposé.

He refused to confirm if Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide had copies of the evidence as well.

An impeachment motion filed by opposition legislators is underway in the House of Representatives as a result of Singson’s allegations.

But President Estrada has denied the charges and rejected the deluge of calls for his resignation. Among those who have publicly called on the President to quit were former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, and Sin.

Rumors that President Estrada may declare martial law or a state of emergency have gripped Manila over the past weeks in the wake of the bribery scandal, which has also battered the financial markets. – With reports from Marichu Villanueva, AFP