By Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
Malacañang has said that President Duterte appointed former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to the Office of Civil Defense as the President needs someone he can trust in a vital agency such as the OCD.
Duterte appointed Faeldon to the OCD a few months after he resigned as Bureau of Customs commissioner over the entry of R6.4-billion worth of shabu from China.
According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Duterte still trusts Faeldon, who is detained at the Senate for snubbing hearings on the issue.
“Patuloy pa rin po ang tiwala sa kaniya ng Presidente, at alam ninyo naman po ang appointment iyan talaga ay executive in nature,” Roque said.
“So ibig sabihin bagama’t may mga paratang laban kay dating Commissioner Faeldon, hanggang hindi napapatunayan, ang Presidente naman bilang abogado ay bibigyan siya ng presumption of innocence at binibigyan siya ng pagkakataon na manilbihan uli sa gobyerno,” he added.
Roque said the President believes that Faeldon is innocent as he is a man of principle. “Iyan ay miyembro ng Magdalo, so naniniwala ang Presidente na mayroon talagang paninindigan at mayroong prinsipiyo. Kaya hindi siya naniniwala sa ngayon ‘no doon sa mga paratang laban sa kaniya,” he said.
Roque noted that Faeldon can perform his duties as OCD deputy administrator even while detained.
