The Office of the President has again defended the appointment of former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon as deputy administrator to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) under the Department of National Defense.
“This is a chance for Commissioner Nick Faeldon to prove his critics wrong. This is his chance,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a radio interview.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Faeldon’s appointment papers on December 22, but the former customs commissioner will remain in the custody of the Senate until his contempt citation is lifted.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said shortly after Faeldon’s appointment that Faeldon would remain in detention until he cooperated with the senators.
“The solution to a problem like contempt is to purge yourself of the contempt. Not a new appointment or position in government. That has no effect on his detention,” Pimentel had said.
Faeldon was cited in contempt after repeatedly failing to appear at the Senate’s hearings on the P6.5 billion methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) shipment that slipped past the Bureau of Customs (BOC) last May 2017.
Faeldon repeatedly denied the accusations and tendered his irrevocable resignation last August. He was later replaced by former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Isidro Lapeña.
Last November, the Department of Justice dismissed the drug charges against Faeldon and other customs officials, some of whom had already resigned, after PDEA failed to present additional evidence to support the allegation that the respondents violated the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Despite allegations against the former customs chief, Duterte earlier said he believed Faeldon to be an honest man, adding that he was open to giving Faeldon another post in government.
