MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - At least one colleague of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson is mulling a disciplinary case against him before the House of Representatives ethics committee after his arrest in Hong Kong last month for drug possession.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño said Singson should be sanctioned if he is found guilty of drug possession by Hong Kong authorities.

"I'll have to check the data from Makati 2nd District Rep. Romero Federico 'Miro' Quimbo. If he's convicted, of course, he'll face sanctions. But sanctions prior to conviction is a thing that needs to be studied based on accurate data and official documents," he said.

Quimbo was sent to Hong Kong on Wednesday to gather more information about Singson's case.

Speaking to ANC, Quimbo said he is still in the process of gathering documents about the drug case especially after a Hong Kong judge granted Singson's petition to post bail.

He said part of his mission is to gather information about Singson's alleged companions after they were accused by Singson's father, Luis "Chavit" Singson, of letting the congressman take the fall for bringing the drugs.

"We have been working hand in hand...with the Philippine Consulate who has the legal personality here to deal with the judicial system. They are very strict when it comes to privacy rules," he said, noting that pleadings are not open to the public unlike in the Philippines.

He said the documents will help the House leadership determine whether or not it should pursue disciplinary action against Singson. He said Congress has the option to impose disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, of a congressman who is convicted in court.

"We've never had a member of Congress detained and criminally charged outside of Philippine territory. The House must be able to make that unique decision based on the facts that we are able to gather here," he said.

Singson is facing drug possession charges in Hong Kong for carrying 6.7 grams of cocaine in his bag last July 11.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said a guilty verdict on Singson will force the House of Representatives to direct the ethics committee to investigate the Ilocos Sur congressman for disorderly conduct.

For his part, House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada said an ethics case against Singson is premature until a final judgment is rendered. "There is still no final judgment yet in the case. He is still presumed innocent so an ethics case is still premature," he said.

House Speaker Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr., meanwhile, said the House leadership is continually monitoring Singson's drug case amid calls to sanction the Ilocos Sur congressman.  "The case is still pending. We will continue to monitor it and await developments," he said.

The likely chairman of the ethics committee is Congressman Orlando Fua of the lone district of Siquijor. He is a member of the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats.

In the history of the House, no congressman has been expelled for disorderly behavior. Such a measure requires a vote by two-thirds of his colleagues voting in plenary.

Congressmen have continued to sit in the House despite the pendency of cases in the past. Incumbent Dinagat Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr won a new term even as his murder case for the death of his wife in 2001 remains pending in the Cebu Regional Trial Court.

However, former Zamboanga Rep. Romeo Jalosjos was stricken off the rolls of the House of Representatives after his rape conviction became final. Likewise, former congressman Nicanor de Guzman was not allowed to sit in Congress anymore after his gun smuggling conviction became final in 2002.