Faeldon stands by aide in tiff with Speaker

Customs Commssioner Nicanor Faeldon (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

The chief of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is backing his troubled chief of staff who was scolded for lambasting Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on her Facebook account.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said Mandy Anderson, also the BOC’s chief executive assistant, would stay on her job at the agency even after she got a tongue-lashing from a lawmaker.

Untainted with politics

“I will let Anderson remain in the BOC as we need more people like her whose character is untainted with politics and corruption,” he said in a statement.

Faeldon made the remarks after his chief of staff was reprimanded by House Majority Floor Leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas for calling Alvarez “an imbecile” on her June 16 Facebook post.

Her comment was in reaction to a news story about Alvarez’s threat to dissolve the Court of Appeals in connection with the order to release six Ilocos Norte officials detained by the House of Representatives.

Own opinions

Faeldon noted that while he is not condoning Anderson’s actions, his chief of staff is entitled to voice her own opinions on Facebook, a social media platform.

“I would like to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed by Anderson on her Facebook account are solely hers and does not represent the views of the BOC,” Faeldon said.

“Her (Anderson) personal opinion does not reflect or affect her efficacy in public service. We will remain firm in our resolve to provide good public service,” he said.

The BOC commissioner corroborated his chief of staff’s story that the issue against Anderson may have stemmed from a request to promote one of the agency’s employees.

He recalled that in May, he and Anderson turned down a favor from a congressman to grant the promotion of a BOC employee.

In a radio interview, Anderson named Alvarez as the one who allegedly requested for the promotion of a BOC employee.

Not qualified

In an interview on dzMM, Anderson did not identify the person the Speaker was supposed to have tried to get promoted, but said she checked the person’s qualifications and found that he or she was not qualified.

Customs insiders, however, identified the person as Sandy D. Sacluti who was endorsed for promotion as Customs Operations Officer V at the Formal Entry Division of the Port of Manila

“They persisted. And then I was called to [the Speaker’s] office. He scolded me,” said Anderson, a bar topnotcher and coalumnus of Alvarez and Fariñas at the Ateneo Law School.

It didn’t end there. Anderson said she got threatening text messages from his staff, as well as a call from Alvarez’ executive assistant who supposedly told her that the Speaker’s marching orders was “to bring hell to me and the commissioner.”

“So I said I’m just the commissioner’s staff, and I do what I’m told. So there, if it’s really wrong, we will not do it because of the reforms and anti-corruption drive in BOC. The commissioner and I have zero tolerance for this,” she said.

Alvarez on Friday initially denied  the allegation in a text message to reporters but later admitted endorsing the person for the position.

Faeldon said the agency is now observing a process of promotion based on qualifications and performance.

The employee in question, he said, has been promoted a few times over the past years while there are others who have been there for 20 years and have never been granted a promotion.

“I want to be fair. If they are performing well and they are qualified, there is no need for any recommendation at all,” he said. —WITH VINCE NONATO