Lacson: BOC chief Lapeña told me Faeldon got P107-M ‘pasalubong’

No less than Customs chief Isidro Lapeña said his predecessor, former commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, got P107 million in “pasalubong,” Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed Tuesday.

“No less than Commissioner Lapeña testified -- he confirmed that there’s indeed pasalubong money,” Lacson said in an interview on ANC television.

“And he confided to me that, ‘Sir, hindi P100 million ang kay Faeldon,' sabi niya P107 [millon] ang inabot. Before the hearing, he came up to my office and informed me, ‘Sir, na-discover ko pasalubong. Totoo yan. I myself’ --  He (Lapeña) experienced it,” Lacson said.

Lapeña declined to comment on the matter as he has yet to review the statement made by Lacson and he is also out of the country.

On the other hand, Faeldon’s lawyer, Jose Diño, said: “There he (Lacson) goes again, nang la-Lacson na naman ng isipan ng mga mamamayan.”

“Can Sen. Lacson answer the most basic question of all, may ebidensya, sir? After 11 fruitless SBRC (Senate blue ribbon committee) hearings, has anyone come out with a categorical declaration that he paid tara or pasalubong to Capt. Faeldon, or that he texted, called or met with Capt. Faeldon?” Diño said. 

“To quote PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte), Sen. Lacson, go fly a kite,” the lawyer added, referring to Duterte’s September 13 statement to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the latter’s allegations on hidden wealth.

‘Corruption’

Lapeña was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Faeldon last August. Faeldon resigned at the height of the controversial shabu shipment that slipped past the Customs bureau last May.

In a privilege speech in August, Lacson accused Faeldon of “promoting” corrupt practices at the Bureau of Customs (BOC). The senator said then that Faeldon received a P100-million payoff as a welcome gift when he assumed his post in 2016.

Faeldon has since denied such allegation. The former Marine captain has filed an ethics complaint against Lacson and even wants the Senate Committee of the Whole to handle the matter.

On the other hand, Lacson has filed with the Office of the Ombudsman graft and economic sabotage charges against Faeldon.

TCCs

In the same interview, Lacson said that according to Lapeña, one of the sources of the said gift for new commissioners are the tax credit certificates (TCCs).

“Somebody whispered to him one of the sources at least yung TCCs…These are big companies na binibigyan ng certificates pwedeng gamitin for future payments or be converted to cash. Billions of pesos ito,” Lacson said.

Lapeña had disclosed the same early this month. He said the scheme involved a three to seven-percent cut in TCCs.

Lacson, meanwhile, also said that “corruption became structural” at the BOC under Faeldon’s watch when the latter formed the Command Center.

“That’s one way of centralizing the power the authority of Customs. He removed from district collectors the authority to issue alert orders. Only he and a few of his immediate subalterns ang pwede mag-issue ng alert orders, lift ng alert orders,” Lacson said.

The ComCen has already been deactivated, resigned deputy commissioner Gerardo Gambala earlier told the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the shabu shipment. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez and Ted Cordero/RSJ, GMA News