Fariñas: Faeldon aide leaked ‘imbecile’ post to divert from smuggling issues

The chief of staff of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon along with her supposed "cohorts" might have leaked the "imbecile" Facebook post criticizing Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to divert public attention from the investigation of the P6.4 billion worth of smuggled shabu, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said on Saturday.

In a statement on Saturday, Fariñas said that while Faeldon's chief of staff Atty. Mandy Anderson had expressed her apology to him and other members of the House during an inquiry earlier this week, she has yet to apologize to Alvarez for calling him "imbecile" on social media.

"During the hearing, [Anderson] in gleeful mood claimed that her post was private and although she apologized to me and the other members of the House, she did not apologize to the Speaker," he said.

"Who could have leaked her private post if not she herself and her cohorts in order to divert the public from the House investigation of the successful smuggling of more than five billion pesos worth of shabu through the [Bureau of Customs] Express Lane?" he added.

The lawmaker from Ilocos Norte noted how Anderson still managed to grant an interview on "mainstream broadcast media" to divulge her supposed "tiff" with Alvarez.

Sought by GMA News Online for comment, Anderson said accusing her of leaking her own FB post was "absurd," adding that it would be sad if the House of Representatives could be distracted by a social media post from a "no-one" like her.

Fariñas during a joint inquiry over the shabu recovered in warehouses in Valenzuela City last May scolded Anderson for her scathing post against Alvarez.

Anderson earlier alleged that Alvarez through an assistant threatened her when she refused to promote an "unqualified" employee of the BOC. Alvarez, however, had already denied pushing for the promotion of Acting Customs Operations Officer V Sandy Sacluti.

He admitted though that he had sent a letter to the BOC recommending Sacluti's promotion.

Fariñas suspected that Anderson's bringing up the issue of the BOC appointment, on top of her "imbecile" FB post, was another way to divert from the issue of shabu smuggling at the Customs bureau.

"Hindsight is the best sight — isn't the dragging of the name of the Speaker by [Anderson] a clear attempt to divert the issue on the BOC's ineptitude, given all the former military officials in its leadership? Were it not for China's apprehension in Xiamen of the source of the shabu and its alerting the BOC of the smuggling of almost a ton of shabu, the BOC's 'Express Lane' would have successfully facilitated P5B worth of shabu into our country," Fariñas said.

Fake MCLE attendance?

The majority leader, meanwhile, assured the public they would not be distracted by the supposed "machinations" of Anderson and her supposed cohorts, while calling out their alleged "outrageous falsification" of attendance to the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.

"She and her two other lawyer colleagues in the BOC were only recently admitted to the Bar; yet, they have the alleged audacity to have falsified their participation in the MCLE by sending impostors in their place to such seminar required of all lawyers!" Fariñas said.

According to the Supreme Court, members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) are required to take the MCLE "to ensure that throughout their career, they keep abreast with law and jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession and enhance the standards of the practice of law."

Fariñas said they would also investigate consultants who have "no public accountability, but are performing functions reserved by law to those in the Civil Service," after they terminate the investigation into the P6.4 billion worth of shabu.

"Consultants, as their title indicate, should only give advice or consultation, but not directly performing administrative governmental functions and duties," he added. — with John Ted Cordero/MDM, GMA News