MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte's appointment of former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to an office at the Department of National Defense showed that the former military man was a "sacred cow" because he knew the "dark secrets" of the chief executive's family, an opposition senator said on Wednesday.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said this knowledge made the president overlook the "gross incompetence" of the former Customs chief who was tagged in a controversy involving the entry of P6.4 billion into the country in May.
"Faeldon knows the dark secrets of the Duterte family that's why even if he is grossly incompetent he remains a sacred cow," Trillanes said in reaction to the appointment of his former Magdalo comrade.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who accused Faeldon of receiving millions of pesos in welcome gift when he assumed his Customs post last year, said that his appointment did not necessarily mean that the Senate would lift its contempt citation and release him.
He said it was Duterte's prerogative to appoint individuals to key posts in the government and the Senate could not interfere in this power.
Lacson, however, stressed that the Senate could also not be forced to release Faeldon who was detained by the upper chamber following his resistance to answer questions about the multi-billion peso drug shipment that went under his nose.
He said Faeldon might have to fulfill his responsibilities at the Office of Civil Defense from his Senate detention cell.
"Faeldon has not been convicted of any crime yet, and certainly he is not barred from assuming an appointive or even an elective position," Lacson said in a separate statement.
"So, while he can assume his new post at the OCD, he may have to function from the Senate detention facility via remote control, unless his contempt citation is lifted by the Senate acting as a collegial body," the former police chief added.
Duterte assigned Faeldon as a deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defense based on the appointment letter dated December 22 released by the Palace.
Despite the buffeting criticisms of Faeldon's handling of the illegal drugs shipment, the president had always reiterated his support for his first Customs chief and stressed that the government needs him.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has filed a case against Faeldon and a host of other Customs officials for their complicity in the importation of illegal drugs into the country.
The Department of Justice, however, dismissed the complaint as the anti-drugs agency failed to clearly state the acts or omissions committed by Faeldon and other Customs officials that would constitute a violation of the law.