Faeldon admits smugglers of P6.4B shabu in 2017 slipped past authorities

Former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon admitted Tuesday that drug smugglers responsible for the entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu in the country in 2017 were able to evade authorities.

Questioned by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro during the 14th QuadComm probe on the drug war during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Faeldon initially said he was not at fault before conceding that his efforts were not enough since the smugglers were not apprehended at that time.

“I received the information 10 o'clock in the evening. By 2 a.m., following day, that's just four hours, nahanap na po namin kung nasaan (we found the location). So that's why I beg to disagree that nakalusot po sa amin (it slipped past us). Hinanap po namin (We looked for it) because I was given the information that there's a possible shipment of shabu na galing sa China. MCLU 600 1881 is the tracking number that the Chinese counterpart gave us, and we were able to trace where the truck was delivered. Not a single kilo [of shabu] went to the streets,” Faeldon said.

“I think 'yung sinasabing nalusutan (to say that the smugglers evaded us), yes, I take the responsibility. But if you read the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, there is a clear delineation of the tasks of the [Customs] commissioner and the Customs collector. And in that law, it's very specific that only the collector has the right to release shipment. Of the 38 ports, it is impossible for the [Customs] commissioner to check every shipment,” he added.

But for former Customs fixer Mark Ruben Taguba II who has been convicted on multiple charges in connection with the 2017 smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of illegal drugs from China, the Customs official who testified against him in multiple drug smuggling and related cases told a different story.

“Meron pong nag-testify sa court na taga-BOC (Bureau of Customs) Rainier Ragos po. Ang tinestify po niya sa court is ‘yung [Valenzuela] warehouse po kung saan po natagpuan ‘yung shabu. Wala pong container na nakalagay roon sa text message ni Kenneth Dong [the middleman],” Taguba said.

(The Customs official told the court about the warehouse where the shabu was found. There was no container mentioned in the text message of Kenneth Dong.)

Asked if the shabu found in the warehouse was inside the metallic cylinder and not a container, Taguba responded: “Metallic cylinder lang po. Wala pong mga container na natagpuan roon eh. Mga cylinder lang po,” Taguba added.

(There were metallic cylinders. There were no containers in the warehouse, just cylinders.)

Luistro reiterated that drug smugglers clearly operated under Faeldon’s nose.

“This representation made use of the term 'nalusutan' kasi nahuli ninyo iyong shabu pero hindi n'yo nahuli 'yung importer (because you seized the shabu but were failed to arrest the importer). For me, Commissioner Faeldon, it is not enough that you apprehended the shabu. You should have arrested the people responsible for the shipment of shabu as well,” Luistro said.

“Kung parehas ninyo pong nahuli ‘yung shabu at 'yung tao, you might be correct na hindi po kayo nalusutan. Pero nahuli ninyo 'yung shabu, hindi ninyo nahuli 'yung tao (If you were able to get both the shabu and the importers, you much be correct in saying that it did not slip past you. But you only seize the shabu and not the importers), I hope, with all due respect, you will understand why I used the terminology nalusutan ang BOC,” she added.

Faeldon responded by saying, “Yes, Your Honor.”—AOL, GMA Integrated News