MANILA, Philippines — In a move to burnish the tarnished image of the 283-man House of Representatives following the conviction of former Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson for illegal drugs use, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led Tuesday the whole-day voluntary drug testing in the chamber.

Belmonte said they wanted to show to the public that the members of the House of Representatives are into clean living and are not drug users.

“I am confident of our people here,” he said, after undergoing the drug testing sponsored by House committee on dangerous drugs in coordination with the Department of Health

When asked what would happen if a member of the House member is found positive for drug use, Belmonte said: “I think we will tell the person involved.”

He said they won’t in any way publicly bare the result of yesterday’s drug testing.

According to him, as early as November, about 37 congressmen, most of them members of the House committee on dangerous drugs, underwent voluntary drug testing

As of this writing, 18 House members showed up in yesterday’s voluntary drug testing, including Belmonte.

Among them were Representatives Romero Quimbo, Rufus Rodriguez, Irvin Alcala, Teodoro Marcelino, George Arnaiz, Salvador Cabaluna, Alfredo Garbin, Florencio Noel, Karlo Nograles, Rodante Marcoleta, Tobias Reynaldo Tiangco, Orlando Fua, Wilfrido Mark Enverga, Oscar Malapitan, Dante Antonio Tinio, Raymond Mendoza, and Pedro Acharon.

On March 7, Singson’s name was officially dropped from the rolls of the House of Representatives. He resigned from his post after he was sentenced to 18 months in jail by Hong Kong’s Wan Chai District Court for illegal drug use.

Singson’s resignation letter dated Feb. 28, 2011 was personally handed over by his father, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson to Belmonte on March 1.

In a one-page resignation letter, Singson said he resigned not because he succumbed to the pressure of the noisy few colleagues at the House, but because he has to fulfill his promise to his father whose name and honor was mercilessly dragged by his drug use conviction.