Faeldon to turn himself in to Senate authorities on Monday

TAYTAY, Rizal — Former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on Friday said he will voluntarily surrender himself to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms on Monday.

"I will go to [the] Senate [on] Monday and let myself [be] arrested," Faeldon told reporters.

"I will not attend any hearings by both house[s of Congress]," he added. "Pwede nila akong buhatin, paupuin doon but still my position is, I will not participate."

He said that will "gladly stay in jail" until the issues are resolved by a "competent court."

"This is the purpose why I'm no longer attending the Senate hearing or declared it in my letter that I have no intention to attend [the] Senate hearing or lower house hearing because I find it very confusing already or contradicting, the privilege speeches and what lawmakers can do against [us], also [the] constitutionally guaranteed rights of an individual," Faeldon said.

"Innocent resource persons like me have been maligned, destroyed, condemned by privilege speeches and some reckless pronouncement of this lawmakers," he added.

"I've been asking them for more than a month already, file a case already if you have a case so that a competent court will resolve this, do not make us the victims of whatever you want. Kawawa naman yung mga insosente, they're supposed to protect the innocent people of this country," Faeldon said.

Faeldon was cited in contempt by the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday for failing to respond to the panel’s subpoena, and signed an order for his arrest if he does not show up  at its next hearing on Monday.

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

The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms on Friday morning arrived at Faeldon's residence in Taytay, Rizal to implement the contempt and arrest order.

However, authorities later on pulled out from the area due to miscommunication, saying that Faeldon will not be arrested.

Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee said he called up Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Jose Balajadia Jr. to clarify that the order he and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III signed was both a “contempt and arrest order.” — RSJ/KVD, GMA News