Faeldon surrenders to senate

Former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon chose to be detained on Monday, September 11, after failing to appear on the senate’s hearings on the P6.4-billion illegal shabu shipment from China.

Nicanor Faeldon(right) shakes hands with Sen. Dick Gordon(left). Photo from The Office of Sen. Gordon

Faeldon was cited with a contempt order by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Richard “Dick” Gordon after skipping anew the ongoing probe on the drug shipment last September 7, saying that he prefers to be investigated by a “competent court”.

On September 8, Faeldon said that he would rather surrender to the senate instead of attending their hearings: “They can carry me if they will arrest me, make me sit there, but I will still not participate.’’

At exactly 11:54 a.m. last week, the former Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief arrived with a bag of clothes and turned himself in the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and declined to give his statement.

Senator Gordon tried to persuade Faeldon to give his testimonies to which the latter declined and said that he prefers to testify on a court trial rather than to be judged “unfairly”.

According to Sen. Gordon, Faeldon surrendered because he felt that his case will lose against the committee because of the senate's powers such as the “privilege speech,” referring to Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson who addressed BOC as a “haven for crooks’’ in his last speech.

In the senate’s defense, Gordon explained, “Kung ikaw nasaktan ka sa privilege speech, mayroon kang karapatan mag file ng ethics case. ‘Yon ang depensa mo para hindi ka naman lugi dahil hindi naman kami [senate] pwede magsalita at mag-accuse ng kahit ano.” (If you feel hurt in the privilege speech, you have the right to file an ethics case. You can use it as your defense so it’s not a loss on your part, because we [senate] cannot say or accuse anything.)

Sen. Gordon also said that Faeldon’s reason to skip the senate probe revolved around the presence of Sen. Ping Lacson and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, members of the Blue Ribbon Committee who are known for their aggressiveness during the probe of the illegal shipment.

Gordon said that Faeldon felt that his case was being judged “unfairly’’ by those two senators, along with those who voted for them.

Humble and respectful

Nevertheless, Gordon claimed that Faeldon remained humble and respectful during his short conversation with him inside the OSAA.

“Pero sabi niya hindi naman siya nagmamatigas. Humble ang dating niya—magalang— pero yun ang decision niya. Sa husgado nalang siya mag-aabang,” (But he told me he is not perverse. He is humble—respectful­—but that is his decision. He will just wait in the court),” Gordon uttered.

Gordon said that Faeldon continues to respect the senate but decides not to testify in the committee’s probe, despite the possible consequences such as temporary imprisonment, because he preferred to raise his case to the court of justice.

Due to his contempt order, Faeldon was temporarily detained in the OSAA office until further notice from the senate.

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