Faeldon: 28 athletes perfect for job because nobody expects them to be doing intel work

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on Friday confirmed that the 28 athletes earlier hired by his office was supposed to do intelligence work, on top of rendering sports-related services for the government agency.

"They do not know anything about intelligence [work]. That's precisely [why] they are there. Why? Because nobody expects them to be gathering information for the bureau. So they are the most effective intelligence information gatherer[-s]. No one expects them to be there," Faeldon said in a press conference.

However, now that the special tasks of the athletes had been bared — thanks in part to Batangas Representative Raneo Abu who revealed their names in a House inquiry on Wednesday — Faeldon said he had to let them go.

"Today they are no longer effective because [they have] been exposed. They will never be effective [again]. Their cover has been [blown]. But prior to that because nobody expects them to be part of that intelligence group, they [were] the most effective intelligence [agents]... none of you will ever [suspected] they [were] part of the organization," Faeldon added.

Among the athletes tapped by the bureau were volleyball star Alyssa Valdez and basketball veterans Marlou Aquino and Kenneth Duremdes.

Faeldon, in the same press conference, also justified the hiring of the athletes, noting the other role of the players in "bridging the gap between the Customs agency and the Filipino people" and helping reform the bureau's public image.

"We need to bring in effective communicators. By just wearing BOC basketball [uniforms], they will already command attention and people will listen [when they say], 'we are supporting the reforms in the bureau,'" Faeldon said.

Faeldon added that the athletes' other functions involved developing the physical fitness [of] employees and providing technical assistance.

"We are law-enforcers, we need to be physically fit," he added.

The BOC hired at least 28 professional basketball and volleyball players [for] various positions at the agency [and] to play for their sports team during the UNTV Cup. — MDM/KVD, GMA News