Ping to file raps vs Faeldon for economic sabotage

Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday declared he would file criminal charges against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon for economic sabotage.

Lacson said this would be the first of many cases that he intends to pursue against Faeldon.

Lacson said he and his legal team have been accumulating evidence against Faeldon, whom he accused of being involved in corrupt activities when he was still part of the BOC.

Even after he delivered his privilege speech on corruption at the BOC last August, Lacson said he continues to receive documents such as affidavits regarding the involvement of Faeldon in corrupt activities, which he has vehemently denied.

“Faeldon has been challenging me so we’ll give it to him,” Lacson said in an interview with dwIZ.

According to Lacson, one particular case against Faeldon has already been completed and based on the evidence he has with him, he believes the erstwhile Customs chief has no way out.

Without going into details, Lacson said the case has to do with agricultural smuggling, with Faeldon facing charges of economic sabotage.

Using the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 as basis, Lacson said the case he would file against Faeldon would be non-bailable.

Lacson said the 2016 law has a provision stating that public officials involved in agricultural smuggling would be meted the maximum penalty, including perpetual disqualification from government service.

“In my consultations with lawyers, not only those from my office, and I showed them the documents, including the flow of events, they all said the same thing – that I have a very strong case. This is what Faeldon wants, so I’m giving it to him,” he said.

Lacson said he could not understand the attitude of Faeldon, who he said was universally despised at the BOC when he was still at the helm.

Instead of coming clean and admitting there is corruption at the BOC just like what every other official and employee there has done, Lacson said Faeldon has stuck to his story that he and his men were clean.

“That person claims to be clean and the most dangerous people in the world are those who are stupid but claim to be intelligent and the corrupt who claim to be honest,” Lacson said.

At the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s inquiry into smuggling at the BOC tomorrow, Lacson said Customs fixer Mark Taguba would be coming out with new information about how Faeldon’s office was being given bribes for the release of certain shipments.

Lacson said Taguba has been reviewing his text messages, phone logs and bank statements and he directed him to put together all of the names of the personalities involved in getting his cargo out of the ports without going through the legal assessment of Customs.

He said Taguba will identify the personalities he spoke with, who were negotiating the “tara” rate and the alert orders for his cargo.