Senate panel junks ethics case vs. Lacson, Trillanes

MANILA -- The Senate Ethics Committee on Tuesday unanimously junked the ethics complaint filed by former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Nicanor Faeldon against Senators Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV.

The complaint stemmed from the lawmakers’ alleged misconduct during the Senate probe into the PHP6.4 billion shabu smuggling case in May last year.

Faeldon filed the complaint against Lacson and Trillanes in September.

The resigned BOC chief asked the ethics committee to find Lacson guilty of unethical, unparliamentary and improper conduct as a senator after the lawmaker implicated him in the alleged massive corruption in the BOC.

In a privilege speech last August, Lacson accused Faeldon of receiving PHP100 million as “pasalubong” when he assumed the office, and also tagged him as one of the agency officials allegedly receiving regular “tara” or “payola” in the BOC.

In the meantime, the ethics complaint against Trillanes is based on the statements he made to media insinuating that Faeldon was purportedly at the heart of the drug controversy in the BOC.

Faeldon has denied the allegations and chose to skip the Senate probe, saying he would rather air his side in the proper courts.

For repeatedly refusing to participate in the probe led to his detention in the Senate and eventual transfer to the Pasay City Jail. (PNA)