By: Mario Casayuran
Former Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Nicolas E. Faeldon could be jailed at the Pasay city jail, the old Bilibid or at the office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms (OSAA).
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee, gave this forewarning to Faeldon who sent an advisory that he would go the Senate tomorrow but warned that he would not attend the public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon.
The public hearing is focused on the smuggling from Xiamen, China of 604 kilos of “shabu’’ (crystal meth) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) brought about by widespread corruption and inefficiency at the BoC.
Lacson, in a privilege speech last week, had accused Faeldon of being on top of the totem pole of corruption with his hands tainted for allegedly receiving regularly millions of pesos of payola (tara).
He claimed the walls of the BoC reverberate with allegations that Faeldon was given P100 million as a welcome gift when he took over the helm of the BoC in July, 2016.
He said he continues to receive confidential information and even documentary evidence to show that there is not only corruption “but systemic corruption’’ at the BoC.
Lacson also said that he wanted the corruption issue brought to a logical conclusion which is for the Office of the Ombudsman to take action on the case.
“Itong weekend maraming meetings, maraming kausap na nag-offer ng information at ebidensya di lang kay Faeldon kundi sa iba pang personalities na nabanggit sa aking privilege speech,’’ Lacson said in a radio interview yesterday.
Gordon had threatened Faeldon with arrest if he refuses to appear tomorrow after snubbing last week his committee hearing last Thursday where he was sent a subpoena.