Faeldon claims hearing about corruption at BOC

Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on Tuesday admitted hearing about corruption within the Bureau of Customs (BOC), but clarified he has no evidence yet to prove it.

Faeldon made the claim during the inquiry by the House committee on dangerous drugs into the P6.4-billion worth of shabu illegally transported to the country from China.

Lawmakers wanted to know how such a large shipment of high-grade shabu managed to get into the country without the BOC's notice. The contraband was only discovered in a Valenzuela warehouse raid last May.

During his interpellation, Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. asked Faeldon to categorically say if there is corruption in the bureau.

"Bago pa man ako pumasok doon, 'yun na ang naririnig ko, sir," Faeldon said.

Teves insisted that he was only asking for a "yes or no" answer.

"Yes, your Honor," Faeldon finally said.

Pressed further by Teves to say up to what level corruption was present at the BOC, Faeldon responded: "We all have to find out."

"I have no evidence to prove this. I don't want to claim something that I can't substantiate with evidence," he explained.

Teves, then, asked: "So nasa pinaka-lowest [sic] level?"

Faeldon replied: "That is not my assumption and assumptions are not facts."

Teves said he was confused by the answers given by Faeldon, a former serviceman appointed to the BOC by President Rodrigo Duterte last year.

"Kung meron kasing corruption, merong lusot. Hindi lulusot ang droga kung walang corrupt official ang Customs," he said.

Faeldon left the hearing early to attend to the meeting President Rodrigo Duterte called.

Before this, House panel chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers had asked Faeldon to resign from his post because of his "ineptitude"in monitoring the entry of smuggled goods, including drugs.

"Dahil pinahiya niyo yung Presidente in spite of the fact that we have a serious war against drugs, aba'y hindi lang kayo dapat managot. Dapat nga mag-resign na kayo, to avoid further embarrassment to the President," Barbers said during the same hearing. — MDM/KVD, GMA News