Solon: Keep Chavit away from tobacco fund

It’s like having Count Dracula run the blood bank.

This was how opposition Rep. Gilbert Remulla (LDP, Cavite) described yesterday the plan of Malacañang to appoint self-confessed jueteng lord and tobacco tax kickback giver Luis "Chavit" Singson to manage a P2-billion tobacco fund.

"Since former Ilocos Sur Governor Singson had admitted that he conspired with the Estrada administration to divert millions of pesos in tobacco excise tax money allotted for his province, then he should not be allowed to get his hands again on even a single centavo of that fund," he said.

He said Singson should not be trusted with the billions Ilocos Sur and other tobacco-producing provinces are entitled to.

The alleged Palace plan to name Singson to run the fund plan prompted the 29 members of the Northern Alliance in the House of Representatives to walk out of their session on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They don’t want Singson to meddle with the money.

Minority Leader Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya), who joined his colleagues in their protest, said they have "valid grievances."

He said they are also protesting the failure of the Arroyo administration to bring down power rates in areas being serviced by electric cooperatives.

Even in Metro Manila, people are starting to notice that their monthly power consumption bills are going up again, he said.

Singson, one of the government’s witnesses in the plunder case against ousted President Joseph Estrada, claimed he turned over to the disgraced leader P130 million in tobacco excise taxes.– Jess Diaz