Faeldon files ethics complaint vs. Lacson

Former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on Monday asked the Senate to penalize Senator Panfilo Lacson for dragging him into the corruption mess hounding the agency.

Faeldon temporarily walked out of his detention room in the Senate to file an ethics complaint against Lacson who accused him of accepting bribes during a privilege speech on August 23.

The complaint will be handled by the Senate committee on ethics and privileges chaired by Senator Vicente Sotto III.

Lacson is a member of the committee.

"This is the only available venue for us right now to question itong conduct ng isang senador specifically si Senator Lacson who used lies to destroy people," Faeldon told reporters.

"Makikita natin ang resolve ng members of the ethics committee kung papayagan ba nila na meron silang kasamahan na gagamit ng kasinungalingan at sisirain ang isang inosenteng resource person nila," he added.

In his complaint, Faeldon accused Lacson of violating his constitutional right to be presumed innocent, abuse of parliamentary immunity and serious misconduct. He also said Lacson is "clearly guilty" of character assassination.

"The citizenry, complainant Faeldon included, pays the salaries of senators to legislate not to villify. The Senate is not and should not be the refuge of scoundrels peddling malicious falsities," the complaint stated.

"Suffice it to state, the use of calumniating language for no other purpose than to hurt, damage and prejudice, has no legislative purpose at all, and no ostensible legislative purpose was even pretended in respondent Sen. Lacson's hatchet-job privilege speech."

Faeldon's lawyer, Jose Dino Jr., had said his client will file a separate ethics complaint against Trillanes on September 25 for his “innuendos, insinuations” that the former commissioner was involved in corruption.

Both senators have since shrugged off Faeldon's move with Lacson saying the filing of the complaint was "tantamount to an exercise in futility and stupidity."

Lacson also said members of Congress cannot be charged for making a privilege speech during sessions, citing Article 6, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution.

"Good luck to him [Faeldon]. And sabi ko na rin, that’s his right. But the Constitution is clear. And his lawyers should know that," Lacson said on the sidelines of the budget hearings at the Senate.

Lacson said he is also preparing to file criminal charges against Faeldon before the Office of the Ombudsman. The senator did not elaborate.

Faeldon has been detained at the Office of the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms since September 11 after refusing to appear before the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling and the alleged corruption at the BOC. —ALG/KBK, GMA News