VIGAN CITY?Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis ?Chavit? Singson yesterday said his son, Rep. Ronald Singson, hired a legal team to represent him in a drug possession case he is facing in Hong Kong.

But Singson said he had not spoken to his son and was only relying on reports supplied by Ronald?s friends and business associates who are now in Hong Kong.

He said the latest information he received was that a legal team was assisting Ronald, but he could not give further details.

Court records from Hong Kong showed that Ronald, 41, was arrested at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport for possession of 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of a sedative on July 11. The records also showed that the court rejected Ronald?s application for bail. He has been detained since his arrest.

Singson said he did not know the real story behind the arrest. ?He will tell the story ? himself when he is available,? he said.

In an earlier interview, Singson had said Ronald would arrive in the country next week. But reports said Ronald was scheduled to appear in a Hong Kong court on Aug. 19.

Singson said he would go to Hong Kong soon to check on his son.

The governor also apologized for his son?s behavior, saying he would not tolerate the use of illegal drugs in his family and in the companies they run.

?I sincerely apologize for whatever shortcoming my son had committed,? Singson told the Inquirer by phone yesterday.

?In government and in my own companies, I never tolerated [the use of] illegal drugs,? he said.

The Singson family is engaged in the transportation and construction businesses. The family owns Partas Bus Line, which has more than 200 buses plying various routes in Northern Luzon, and runs the construction firm Satrap.

Singson said Ronald, who is a concert producer and owner of cable music station, Channel V, went to Hong Kong after his company staged the Manila concert of singer, Usher, on July 9.