Former Customs Commissioner to be detained at Senate

FILE: Senate on Monday will detain ex-Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon until he cooperates with the blue ribbon committee probe on the P6.4-billion shabu shipment. (Photo by Presidential Communications Operations Office, Public Domain)

The decision was made after Senator Richard Gordon and Faeldon met at the office of the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms.

According to Gordon, Faeldon told him that he is not willing to face senators Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV as he will be treated unfairly by them. The two senators made the allegation against Faeldon of being involved in the corruption at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

On September 8, the former commissioner said he would chose to be detained than to attend another Senate hearing on the shabu predicament.

“Kinausap ko siya para kako yung side mo marinig at lugi ka kung di ka aakyat. Sabi niya repestado naman ‘yang senado at handa siyang mag-stay dito at makulong at hahabulin niya na lang raw sa korte [I spoke to him, so your side could be heard, you’ll lose if you don’t come up. He said he respects the senate and he’s ready to stay here and be detained. He’ll just face the court],” Gordon told reporters in an interview.

When Gordon was asked until when Faeldon will be in the custody of the Senate, the senator answered it would depend on two things: “until he decides to come over, until the Senate says ‘you may go’.”

“Humble ang dating niya, magalang, sabi niya talagang ‘yun ang desisyon niya sinulat niya na raw ‘yon sakin, as a committee, na hindi siya haharap dito at sa husgado na lang siya mag-aabang [He was humble and courteous, he said that it was his final decision and he already written it to me, as a committee, saying that he will not face here (Senate) and will just wait for the court],” the senator added.

On Monday morning, the former Customs chief went to the Senate on his white shirt printed with the message saying “truth is justice.”

Last September 7, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cited Faeldon for disdain as he disregards invitations to surface at the hearings on alleged shabu shimpment and corruption at the BOC.

To recall, the committee has held six hearings since July 31 until September 7, 2017. Among all the hearings the committee has conducted, Faeldon has only attended three.