Escudero dares Faeldon: Name lawmakers meddling in Customs

Senator Francis Escudero (left) is challenging Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon (right) to name the lawmakers whom the bureau chief claimed were influencing the bureau about promotions and assignments. INQUIRER FILES

Name names.

This was Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s challenge for Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Nicanor Faeldon after the bureau chief lashed out at some lawmakers for trying to influence appointments in the agency and threatened to expose them.

“He should name names and not issue a shotgun accusation,” Escudero said in a text message.

“If indeed it is corruption, then he should name them and file cases against them if he is indeed serious in cleaning up his bureau,” he said.

Faeldon on Wednesday slammed lawmakers and government officials for contributing to the culture of corruption in the bureau.

Congress is investigating the bureau after 605 kilos of shabu worth P6.4 billion managed to slip into the country through Customs.

Faeldon did not identify any personalities but he said there are “less than 10” lawmakers who tried to pressure the BOC to promote certain employees. Some also made unreasonable requests to the agency, he said.

The BOC chief said most of the politicians had import or forwarding companies.

Earlier, Faeldon’s chief of staff, lawyer Mandy Anderson, called House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez an “imbecile” for supposedly lobbying for the promotion of a Customs officer named Sandy Sacluti.

Anderson rejected Alvarez’s request after finding Salcuti unqualified for promotion. CBB