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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Rody names Lapeña to replace Faeldon

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President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and anti-crime groups for his replacement over his failure to stop the entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.

Duterte said he will appoint former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director-general Isidro Lapeña as Faeldon’s replacement.

“I will put him [Lapeña] here [in BoC]. He will have a free hand to reorganize,” the President said.

Duterte said the embattled Faeldon has submitted three resignation letters already.

“Faeldon knows that I will accept it [resignation],” he said.

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The President said he still believes in the integrity of Faeldon, who is facing a probe in the House of Representatives. 

The House of Representatives’ committee on dangerous drugs is eyeing the criminal prosecution of embattled Faeldon for allegedly bungling the chain in the custody of drug evidence, a House official said on Monday.

BOC chief Nicanor Faeldon

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the panel chairperson, said his committee which investigated the multi-billion shabu smuggling, said his committee would recommend the filing of criminal charges against the BoC chief with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Barbers panel is scheduled to approve this Thursday the report on their investigation into the supposed P6.4 billion worth of shabu smuggling inside the Bureau of Customs.

“Aside from gross negligence and incompetence, the committee is now studying the possible recommendation to prosecute Commissioner Faeldon and others for their apparent disregard to (sic) the strict provisions of  the law on the chain in the custody of drug evidence,” Barbers said.

Barbers said his committee would also make accountable Faeldon and others for “raiding the Valenzuela warehouse without a proper warrant” as he lamented that corruption remains a serious problem at the BoC as admitted by Faeldon himself.

Barbers said copies of the committee report were being readied for scrutiny of the panel members  before voting on its recommendations this Thursday.

Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, chairperson of the House committee on ways and means, which also conducted hearings on the shabu shipment controversy, said he would recommend the abolition of the Command Center of the BoC.

The CommCen is under the control of BoC commissioner which has the authority to issue alert orders and subject questionable shipments to inspection.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez would want Faeldon to quit his post to spare President Rodrigo Duterte from further embarrassment after admitting that there was still corruption in his agency more than a year after he was appointed to the office. 

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