Recycling

from China primarily is the principal reason why shabu proliferates, and it creates all those narco- politicians that Mr. Duterte hate so much.

Shabu is a supply- chain problem and once you kill the main source, the shabu smuggled from China and processed in clandestine labs by Chinese nationals, you can rein in the drug problem and reduce it to a minimum. In effect, the failure of Mr. Faeldon and his men at the BoC, supposedly trained intelligence men, abetted and sustained the drug trade.

It is in this context that Mr. Faeldon’s recycling was totally incomprehensible and out- ofsynch with Mr. Duterte centerpiece agenda. Mr. Duterte can pick from a gallery of untainted former military officers who will serve with distinction, probity and integrity. That makes the Faeldon recycling much, much murkier.

Mr. Ridon, the former partylist representative recently fired from his urban poor office, was accused of traveling abroad many times, foreign trips that got approval from the Office of the President. One of the first casualties, Mr. Laviña, the President’s campaign spokesman, was fired from the National Irrigation Authority ( NIA) for supposedly questionable acts. Nothing was proven but Mr. Laviña was fired without being given the chance to put out his side of the issue.

The firings were not related to a monumental blunder, one that has put in peril the main program of the president. The failing of Mr. Faeldon was related to, in Mr. Duterte’s own words, the country’s cancer in the form of illegal drugs. Hence, a unforgivable one.

Many Filipinos, even the Mr. Faeldon when he coddled a subordinate who ridiculed Speaker Alvarez in a social media post. If Mr. Faeldon does not respect the man, he should respect the institution and what he coddled was a violation of constitutional principles.

Speaking of Mr. Alvarez, a dear friend I can’t say no to, Mr. F., emailed a longish piece extolling the leadership of the speaker. I can’t pack the contents in one column but the gist is this: Mr. Alvarez and his chamber can claim to a long list of unprecedented achievements, from passing tax reform laws to “Mission Accomplished.”