(Eagle News) — Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon faced mounting calls to resign from his post after congressmen accused him and his men of incompetence for allowing the shipment of more than P6 billion worth of drugs in the country and for bungling what could have been a strong case against suspected drug personalities responsible for the shipment.
“You should all resign,” a fuming Rep. Ace Barbers, chair of the committee on dangerous drugs of the House of Representatives, told Faeldon and his men who conducted a raid at a warehouse in Valenzuela in May that yielded six crates containing the illegal substance.
Barbers made the comment after Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency National Capital Region Director Wilkins Villanueva said Faeldon did not listen to him when he said a “control-delivery” of all the six crates should have taken place.
Villanueva said Faeldon–who he said should have given custody of the case to the PDEA considering its drug-related nature— insisted that some “evidence” should be left in the warehouse so charges could also be filed against the owner of the structure.
Villanueva said everytime he insisted on what was in the law, Faeldon would consult a lawyer, who would recite Customs policies.
It turned out the lawyer was Faeldon’s fiancee and was not a government employee.
Asked if charges had indeed been filed, Faeldon said the National Bureau of Investigation which took over the case was in charge of the filing.
“If you had listened to me, you would not be here right now,” an irate Villanueva said, even noting that Customs personnel had already “contaminated” the drugs when he got to the scene.
He said if a control-delivery of the entire shipment had been done, charges could have been filed against the two Taiwanese believed to be behind the illegal act.
“Yes, I believe it was bungled,” Villanueva said when asked by Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia if he believed that the filing of charges against the two suspects was bungled because of Faeldon’s “stubbornness.”
Congressmen also called out Faeldon and his men for conducting a raid of the warehouse based on a letter of authority, and not based on a search warrant.
