By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Saturday, May 20, defended his appointment of embattled former customs chief Nicanor E. Faeldon as deputy administrator III of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), saying he does not believe the official is involved in drug smuggling.
The President made his remarks during the opening ceremony of the Philippine National Games 2018 at Cebu City Sports Complex in Cebu City.
Mr. Faeldon has been accused of raking in bribes, among these a P100-million “welcome gift” he allegedly received upon assuming office at the Bureau of Customs (BoC) in 2016.
He left his position in August last year amidst the shabu smuggling controversy. In December, the Palace announced his appointment to the OCD.
The Office of the Ombudsman recently recommended the filing of charges against Mr. Faeldon over the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, which was discovered during a raid of a warehouse in Valenzuela City in May last year when he was still BoC Chief.
“Let’s talk about Fealdon. I’d like to make it public. Why did I keep Faeldon in my administration? They say that he already has a case filed against him. You know, Faeldon was responsible for the recovery of smuggled cigarettes with fake stamps. And [Finance Secretary Carlos G.] Dominguez III insisted that they computed how much it’s worth. Faeldon was the one who told me that it’s worth billions. And we earned (P)40 billion,” the President said.
He added: “That’s why I don’t believe that Faeldon is involved in drugs. He was just sucked into the vortex of — that’s why until now I — Oh, Magdalo. He had a fight with Magdalo. But now I appointed Faeldon in the Department of Defense. I don’t believe that he’s involved.”
Also in his speech, the President encouraged his audience in Cebu City to support his administration’s initiatives in addressing the problems of criminality, corruption and illegal drugs.
As for the youth, the President said: “Remember that sports is an effective avenue to instill discipline in our youth to keep [them] away from these societal ills.”
