Faeldon an honest man? ‘I’ll respect Duterte’s opinion’

PRIB Photo by Romeo Bugante

Sen. Panfilo Lacson respects President Rodrigo Duterte’s continued trust in resigned Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, but insisted that the information he received painted a different picture of the controversial official.

“If the President sees him as honest, fine. It is not for us to question one person’s trust in another,” Lacson said in a radio interview on Saturday.

“If that’s how he knows him, we should respect that,” the senator said, adding that he himself once thought Faeldon was an upright, reform-minded man.

But Lacson said the information he received from sources, which he had studied and verified, suggested that Faeldon was also involved in the corruption he claims to oppose.

In a privilege speech on Aug. 23, Lacson tagged more than 30 Bureau of Customs officials, including Faeldon and employees as having received bribes.

Lacson said he and his staff debated whether to include Faeldon in the list, but the senator said he ultimately decided to not be selective just because he knows Faeldon.

Lacson claimed in his privilege speech that Faeldon had received a P100-million payoff, a charge Faeldon has denied.

The following day, Faeldon claimed Lacson’s son, Panfilo “Pampi” Lacson Jr., allegedly owned undervalued cement shipments that Faeldon uncovered in his first 12 days in office. —Leila B. Salaverria