Faeldon: Only a few lawmakers trying to influence the BOC, not all

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on Wednesday said that he is referring only to a few members of Congress when he said that lawmakers were impeding reforms in the agency and trying to influence him.

He refused to name them, however.

"I was not saying that the entire... there are very few. I was not saying that the entire Congress. There were some congressmen who tried to influence me but I will not name in the interest of unity of all government agencies," Faeldon said during the House inquiry into the P6.4-billion worth of shabu illegally shipped into the country from China last May.

"I categorically apologize to those who have done nothing to the Bureau. That is my responsibility. My apologies to everyone," he also said.

Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro had challenged Faeldon to reveal the identities of lawmakers who supposedly tried to get him to promote certain individuals in the agency.

"Could you be more specific as to who are these congressmen who have recommended people [to] the Bureau of Customs and now are impediments [to] the reform that you want to introduce, so that all those who have not recommended anyone could be spared from your general statement?" Castro said.

Faeldon declined to name the lawmakers "who are trying to influence the result of board promotions" because he said he does not want to humiliate them.

He added that if he dictated to the promotions board to "please pass this person," then the bureau's reform agenda will amount to nothing.

In a separate press conference, Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez also dared Faeldon to name the Representatives who were supposedly asking favors of him.

"I heard some allegations that he would be pushed to the brink, mauubos na 'yung pasensya niya whatever. He was going to name some members of congressmen for asking favors of some shipment, so I dare him, name them," Suarez said.

"Kung sino man 'yun eh tungkulin ng House na i-disiplina," he added.

Faeldon's chief of staff, lawyer Mandy Anderson, earlier said in a radio interview that Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had lobbied for the promotion of an individual deemed unqualified for a job in the BOC.

Alvarez denied that he pushed for anyone's promotion in the BOC, though a letter Alvarez sent to Faeldon recommending an employee's promotion later surfaced. — BM, GMA News