MANILA, Philippines -- Former Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson is opening a hotel and bar in the resort island of Boracay.

In an interview with Wilson Lee Flores in The Philippine Star, which was published on Sunday, Singson said he is opening the 47-room The District Hotel in Boracay, hopefully in time for the summer.

"It’s actually now in the finishing stage, almost 90% complete," he said.

He described the beachfront District in Boracay's Station 2 as a "very high-end boutique hotel" but with "middle-range" room rates.

"I bought it as an empty lot. We started development three to four years ago, but it was delayed kasi nagkulang ng pondo and I got into trouble in Hong Kong. We’re now finishing it," he said.

Singson was sentenced to 18 months in prison in Hong Kong for cocaine possession which had been reduced to one year due to good behavior.

Singson said his father, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, is "very excited" and "supportive" of the hotel project. The Singson family owns the Vigan Plaza Hotel in Ilocos Sur.

"It has a nice location, the best amenities, very modern. I’m very excited about this project," he said of the Boracay hotel.

"I also partnered with the owner of an Italian chain of restaurants which is famous in Manila, to open a good resto," he added, without naming the Italian eatery.

Concert productions

Singson is also in the concert production business with Fearless Productions, which had produced concerts by international artists such as Usher, David Cook and David Archuleta.

But he said he is taking it slow for now as far as concert productions are concerned.

"It’s parang a hit or miss business in terms of profitability, due to the price war for international talents," he said.

"For instance, if we want to invite stars like Usher here, we’ve set a certain price for him, then other concert producers will contact him and offer a higher talent fee, that’s the price war. The costs go so high, so even if you fill the venue, concerts are not always that profitable anymore. Sponsorships are also dwindling now, they’d just mostly offer ex-deals," he explained.

He said he is still interested to do concerts, "but more for good artists with a big following but who are not that expensive," citing his experience with Cook and Archuleta, who had a back-to-back concert at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds after their successful stint at "American Idol."