MANILA, Philippines - Amid the controversy over the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu, President Duterte stands by Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, whose bureau is being investigated by the Senate and the House over the issue.
“Faeldon, I stand by him. He is honest. Nalusutan lang siya kasi lahat sa (That just got past him because all in) Customs corrupt,” Duterte said during the 19th anniversary of the Volunteers Action Against Crime (VACC) at Malacañang yesterday.
Duterte admitted there were lapses in the BOC that led to the release of the shabu shipment, which was recovered in Valenzuela City following a tip by Customs officials in China.
“Sabi di kaya ni Duterte, di ko talaga kaya. Mismo ung customs... malusutan ka,” the President said after he was criticized for saying now that he cannot solve the drug menace even during his term.
Duterte is reneging on his promise to stamp out drugs within six months of his term.
He said the entire Customs bureau is corrupt, which is why the drug shipment managed to slip through authorities.
The President made the statement after senators grilled Faeldon and his men during the resumption of the inquiry on Tuesday.
Resign
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has joined House lawmakers in calling for the resignation of Faeldon over the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu.
“He should spare the President from further embarrassment especially because the focus of the President’s campaign is on illegal drugs and corruption. We are talking here of a huge volume of illegal drugs, not just per gram or kilo, but tonnage,” Alvarez said yesterday.
He said the investigation that the House conducted mostly delved on deeply rooted corruption, which he described as “clear as daylight.”
Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Gus Tambunting of Parañaque – chairmen of the committee on dangerous drugs and games and amusement, respectively – advised Faeldon to step down voluntarily. – With Delon Porcalla