Malacañang to Singson: Behave, be upright

MANILA, Philippines — All Malacañang could tell its deputy national security adviser, Luis “Chavit” Singson, who is under fire for assaulting his former live-in partner, was to “behave.”

“We advise Undersecretary Singson to behave accordingly as an upright citizen and to submit himself to due process of law,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde told reporters Friday at a briefing.

The Palace stopped short of censuring Singson, who had been quiet in his job as deputy to National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales until news broke on Wednesday that Rachel “Che” Tiongson, the mother of five of his children, had filed a criminal complaint accusing him of beating her on Aug. 22.

In answer to a question, Remonde indicated that Singson’s fate in the government would “depend on the outcome of the case.”

Singson, a former governor of Ilocos Sur, had admitted “hurting” Tiongson, saying he had caught her with another man in the townhouse in Quezon City that Singson had rented for her.

He had also said Tiongson and her boyfriend should be thankful that he did not kill them.

The couple are separated. Tiongson has been granted a temporary protection order by a Quezon City court and is now “in a sanctuary undergoing counseling,” Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza told the Inquirer.

“I fear for my life, the safety of my family and the people close to me including my boyfriend. That’s why I decided to file a case against Chavit,” Tiongson told the Inquirer in an interview in a Quezon City restaurant Friday night.

“Until now, I’m scared that he would harm me and my family especially after filing the case,” Tiongson said she said. “However, for my peace of mind, I would like to talk to him but it’s not a guarantee that I will withdraw the case against him.”

Reacting to Singson’s reported statement that he would not give financial support to Tiongson and her children if she insisted on sole custody of the children, Tiongson said she was willing to share custody.

Her five children with Singson are aged 16, 13, 11, 9 and 8.

Asked if the President had expressed concern over the case that has outraged women’s groups and advocates of women’s rights, Remonde said: “We haven’t talked about that. But I think the victim has already filed a case in court, and then we will wait for the developments.”

Remonde could not say if Singson had used resources of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to conduct surveillance on Tiongson: “We are not aware, but maybe you should ask Undersecretary Singson, or NICA, for that matter.”

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Singson to his current post a year ago. His bitter political enemy, deposed President Joseph Estrada, called it “payback.”

Singson’s exposé on the kickbacks purportedly received by Estrada from the illegal numbers game “jueteng” eventually led to the people’s revolt in January 2001 that paved the way for then Vice President Macapagal-Arroyo’s ascension to power.

Singson, 68, was among the administration’s losing senatorial candidates in the 2007 midterm elections who were appointed to government posts.

Asked if Singson had done his job well, Remonde said: “It is not for the Palace to evaluate his performance because he has a superior in the person of Secretary Norberto Gonzales. Let us ask Secretary Gonzales on the first opportunity.”

Tiongson has accused Singson of violating Republic Act No. 9262 (Violence against Women and Children Act of 2004).

On the phone with the Inquirer, Maza said Tiongson had contacted her office and sought help in her case against Singson.

“We could provide her additional lawyers, counseling and support,” Maza said.

The lawmaker added that a member of her staff who had talked with Tiongson said the latter’s face was black and blue and had a swollen eye.

In an interview with ABS-CBN on Thursday, Tiongson calmly narrated what happened on Aug. 22 and showed photos of her bruised face and arms.

She said Singson barged into the townhouse while she was having dinner with her boyfriend, went straight to her, and hit her on the head with the whip he used to discipline his pet tigers.

She added that she thought he would kill her because he had a gun.

Tiongson said her boyfriend—earlier identified by Singson as Richard Catral of Quezon City—was forcibly undressed, beaten and tortured by his bodyguards.

She said she escaped more beating by climbing over the townhouse’s balcony and jumping into her neighbor’s yard, and that a friend later took her to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Tiongson said she was now in another relationship because she had been separated from Singson since November 2008.

“My point is, Why would I tell him that I have a boyfriend when we are already separated?” she said in Filipino. “I have been discreet...”

She said she had broken off with Singson because of his relationships with other women, some as young as their teenage children.

“I thought I was the only woman in his life,” she said.

Per her account, Tiongson said she first met Singson at the age of 18, when she was a college student in Manila.

She said she fell in love with him and that they lived together for 17 years.

“I was very young when we met ... He courted me ... and I fell for him too. He showed me that time that he was a gentleman, generous and thoughtful,” Tiongson said.

But everything changed when Singson began womanizing, she said.

In earlier interviews, Singson said he had hurt Tiongson and her boyfriend and was ready to face the court.

He also said he had evidence to show that he was the one wronged.

He claimed that it was not the first time he caught Tiongson cheating on him.

“The first time [I caught her], I did not hurt her and I just told her to leave the house,” Singson said.