Sen. Richard Gordon
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The Senate blue ribbon committee is set to decide on Monday the fate of former Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon who has repeatedly refused to appear before the panel鈥檚 investigation into the smuggling of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu in May.
Senator Richard Gordon, who chairs the powerful committee, said that if Faeldon maintains his defiance, the Senate could decide to order his detention at the Pasay City jail.
鈥淗indi malayo 鈥榶an dahil di ko naman gusto 鈥榶un. Sa akin, humarap lang siya at magsalita, papalabasin ko siya,鈥� Gordon said in an interview over radio dzBB, Sunday.
(It could happen even though I don鈥檛 want it. For me, if he faces us and tells what he knows, I would let him go.)
鈥溾�榊an ang pinag-usapan namin, we have to protect the Senate. Can you imagine, 鈥榩ag tinawag ko, hindi pupunta, ayaw 鈥� e di wala na tayo malalaman sa shabu. Ayaw nila humarap kasi natatakot sila,鈥� he added.
(That鈥檚 what we talked about, we have to protect the Senate. Can you image if I summoned someone and he doesn鈥檛 want to attend, then we won鈥檛 find out anything about the drugs. They don鈥檛 want to face us because they鈥檙e scared.)
When asked if this is the committee鈥檚 ultimatum to Faeldon, Gordon said: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 threaten, I just do it.鈥�
鈥溾�橮ag ginawa niya at wala sa lugar 鈥� sorry ha 鈥� ayaw mong sumunod, wala ka sa lugar; sorry I need to do something. Nahihirapan nga kami gumagastos ang Senado sa kanya. Air-conditioned ang kulungan niya. Walang baras, centralized air-con ang buong garahe at may ambulansya, may pagka-spoiled ang mamayang ito,鈥� he said.
(If he does it and it鈥檚 out of place, I鈥檓 sorry 鈥� if you don鈥檛 follow and you鈥檙e out of place, I鈥檓 sorry but I need to do something. We鈥檙e having a difficult time spending in the Senate for him. His cell is air-conditioned. There are no bars, the garage has centralized air-con and there鈥檚 an ambulance; this person is spoiled.)
Last Friday, the committee issued another subpoena against Faeldon, but his lawyer Jose Di帽o said he might maintain his 鈥渞ight to his personal dignity, specifically his right not to be browbeaten (again) with hopelessly un-provable and garbage allegations.鈥�
搁贰础顿:听Senate subpoenas Faeldon anew to attend BOC 鈥榯ara system鈥� inquiry
Faeldon is still detained at the Senate facility after he was cited in contempt for refusing to attend the Senate hearings.
But President Rodrigo Duterte had recently appointed him as deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) under the Department of National Defense (DND).
The said Senate committee inquiry is also investigating the systemic corruption and 鈥渢ara system鈥� inside the Bureau of Customs (BOC). /je