FORMER Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon said on Friday he is no longer willing to participate in any hearings in the Senate and the House of Representatives, citing partiality of certain lawmakers.

In a press conference at his home in Tatay, Rizal, Mr. Faeldon said that he will go to the Senate on Monday, September 11, to voluntarily surrender but will not participate in its eighth public hearing involving a shipment of crystal metamphetamine – popularly known as shabu – worth P6.4 billion from China.

“They can arrest me anytime because I will not attend anymore. They can arrest me and force me to sit there but I will still not participate. I’ve been asking them for more than month already to file a case if you have a case so that a competent court can resolve this,” he said, adding that going to jail is better than attending the proceedings.

Since his rights had been trampled upon during the previous proceedings, Mr. Faeldon has already skipped the previous two hearings.

Mr. Faeldon said that he is willing to stay in jail until the matter has been cleared by a competent court such as the Supreme Court.

“This is not stubbornness. I just want the lawmakers to be clear about their intentions when they deliver their privilege speeches and when they cross-examine innocent resource persons, and that they uphold the citizen’s guaranteed rights as provided by the Constitution,” he said.

For his part, Senate Chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, Richard J. Gordon said that he is still willing to give Mr. Faeldon a chance to clear his name.

“When he goes there I will have him sit there and present himself because that’s the order. He would have to sit himself before the table and if he refuses to answer then we will go to the next step, which is to put him under arrest,” Mr. Gordon said in a phone interview with Senate reporters.

Mr. Faeldon may be detained “anywhere between staying in the Senate, Pasay, or Muntinlupa,” he said.

“But I will try my best and I will convince him to answer (Senator Antonio F.) Trillanes. I will assure him he will have his day in the Senate. I will let him speak as much as he wants and then let himself to be subjected to cross-examination as well,” he said.

However, Mr. Gordon said that it is better for Mr. Faeldon to come in with an affidavit arguing against the accusations thrown at him by Senators Trillanes and Panfilo M. Lacson. The two senators have both implicated Mr. Faeldon in the corruption at BoC.

Mr. Gordon also said that at his point he has no reason to conclude that Mr. Faeldon is corrupt.

ARREST ORDER EFFECTIVE ONLY ON MONDAY
Personnel from the Senate Office of the Sergeant at Arms showed up at Mr. Faeldon’s home early morning on Friday.

According to Mr. Faeldon, however, the OSAA only told him that if he needs to communicate directly with the Chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee he may do so anytime. He also said that the OSAA told him that there is no warrant of arrest.

The arrest order, according to Mr. Gordon, will only be effective starting on Monday if Mr. Faeldon doesn’t appear at the Senate hearing.

“There is an arrest order because I’ve been talking about that last night. But it’s pro forma. It goes with the declaration of contempt,” Gordon said.

Senate Sergeant at Arms, General Jose V. Balajadia, Jr added that his staff only acted immediately after receiving an arrest order signed by Mr. Gordon with the approval of Senate President Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III.

Mr. Gordon said on Thursday’s proceedings that Mr. Faeldon will be cited in contempt if he skips another hearing. — Mario M. Banzon

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