Faeldon cited in contempt, to be arrested if he snubs hearing on Monday

Former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon was cited in contempt by the Senate blue ribbon committee for failing to respond to the panel’s subpoena Thursday, and will be arrested if he does not show up to the hearing set next week.

“The chair orders Capt. Faeldon in contempt and must report here at the next hearing on Monday,” Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the committee, said before suspending the probe on the smuggling of the P6.4-billion shabu shipment.

“The sergeant-at-arms is ordered to make sure that he gets the information and that he is brought here on Monday,” Gordon said.

The motion was approved with no objections.

Gordon warned that Faeldon will be arrested if he fails to appear before the committee.

“If he does not appear on Monday, he will be arrested and brought here to the blue ribbon committee. We will not entertain any defiance of the government here in this chamber,” he said.

Faeldon’s absence on Thursday’s hearing was the second time since he was issued a subpoena by the committee on August 29.

In a letter addressed to the panel, Faeldon said he chose to skip the hearing because of the supposed “impartiality” of some senators.

“I continue to have the highest respect for the Senate as an institution but I no longer have faith in the impartiality in some of its members who have lied to malign me and other innocent resource persons,” Faeldon said.

“This is not to defy as an institution. This is a way of protesting. I want my team and I to be last victims of baseless accusations, persecution, and condemnation,” he added.

Faeldon said that if his absence will be interpreted by the committee to warrant his arrest, then he "will gladly go to jail." He even provided two addresses in Rizal where he can be found if need be. — RSJ, GMA News