Nina BETHEENA KAE UNITE, ELLSON QUISMORIO, at ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS.
“This is not your property!”
Matapos matiyak ang suporta sa kanya ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa gitna ng pagpapatuloy ng imbestigasyon sa P6.4-bilyon shabu na naipuslit sa bansa, matapang na binatikos ni Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon ang aniya’y ilang opisyal ng gobyerno na nagtatangkang impluwensiyahan ang trabaho niya sa kawanihan.
Humarap sa press conference kahapon ng umaga kasunod ng pakikipagpulong niya kay Pangulong Duterte nitong Martes ng gabi, umapela si Faeldon sa aniya’y mga opisyal na humihiling na i-promote niya ang ilang empleyado ng BoC.
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“They want me to influence the promotion board so that their people here be promoted and I will tell them right in their face, I will never be able to influence the promotion board. Why? Because that is a form of corruption,” sabi ni Faeldon.
‘SHAME ON YOU!’
“I do not want to do that. I told you I don’t know anything about Bureau of Customs. I only know one thing—to say no to anybody who wants to influence me,” dagdag niya.
“I’m appealing to you that your request is a form of corruption and you insist at magagalit pa kayo. Shame on you. Shame on you,” sabi ni Faeldon.
“Stop it! This is not your property. This is the country’s Bureau of Customs. This is the Filipino people’s Bureau of Customs. So don’t act as if you own this.”
Tumanggi naman ang komisyuner na pangalanan ang nasabing mga opisyal, kabilang na ang mga humihiling sa kanyang italaga ang isang kakilala sa isang partikular na posisyon.
“Sila na lang ang mag-commissioner. I’m the one being blamed for lousiness here but they were the ones putting lousy people in this bureau,” himutok pa ni Faeldon.
Una nang nagmungkahi ang mga mambabatas na magbitiw na lang sa tungkulin si Faeldon, ngunit nanindigan siyang tanging si Pangulong Duterte ang makapagpapababa sa kanya sa puwesto.
“The president doesn’t mind too much. He is aware but it was not discussed (sa meeting). He only told me to continue serving the country well and stop corruption,” aniya pa.
HINAMON NG SOLON
Kaugnay nito, hinamon kahapon ni House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez si Faeldon na pangalanan ang mga opisyal na nagtatangka umanong impluwensiyahan ang komisyuner.
“I’ve heard allegations that if he’s pushed to the brink, or run out of patience, he will name congressmen who have been asking favors on shipments. I dare him, name them,” sabi ni Suarez. “Kung sino man ‘yun, it’s the duty of Congress to discipline them.”
Sinabi naman ni Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Barbers, chairman ng House Committee on Dangerous Drugs na gumisa kay Faeldon at sa iba pang opisyal ng BoC nitong Martes, na inirerespeto niya ang pasya ng Pangulo na panatilihin sa puwesto si Faeldon.
“I respect the prerogative of the President in his choice,” sabi ni Barbers, ngunit iginiit na magpapatuloy pa rin ang mga pagdinig ng Kamara “until we will find who’s at fault in this brouhaha or if indeed there was really money that changed hands in the release of this drugs from BoC.”
‘DI PA LUSOT
Samantala, tiniyak naman ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III na magsasagawa rin ng sariling imbestigasyon ang Department of Finance (DoF) sa nasabing ilegal na kontrabando mula sa China kapag natapos na ang mga pagdinig ng Kongreso.
“Nobody is safe—even me,” sabi ni Dominguez.
“We will wait for the results of the investigation of the legislature. We must respect them,” pahayag ni Dominguez.
“Of course [we will investigate]. It is better to do this in sequence, so we are going to start it.”
