How Faeldon, Trillanes began feuding

The feud between Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon that started in the 2016 presidential campaign caused tensions at Tuesday’s resumption of the Senate inquiry into the smuggling P6-billion worth of “shabu” from China.

Trillanes spoke about his feud with Faeldon, a fellow mutineer in the 2003 Oakwood siege against the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, when Faeldon initially refused to answer his queries at the hearing.

Faeldon accused Trillanes of “propounding preposterous lies” against him and the BOC in refusing to answer the senator’s questions.

“We did not have this feud prior to the campaign. You know that. I know that. You would come here to the Senate and greet me until the campaign started,” the senator told Faeldon, who used to belong to the Magdalo group of young military officers with Trillanes until he was kicked out in 2005.

The senator was referring to their rift that began when Faeldon came out of the blue in 2016 to defend then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte against attacks by Trillanes.

Faeldon sat in the news conference of Mr. Duterte to denounce Trillanes following the senator’s accusation that the then presidential candidate had amassed unexplained wealth, as shown by over P2 billion in transactions that went through his bank accounts.

Faeldon also slammed Trillanes during that press conference with Mr. Duterte for “sabotaging the dream” of the majority of Filipino voters for change.