FORMER Bureau of Customs officials Nicanor Faeldon, Gerardo Gambala, Milo Maestrecampo and Neil Estrella are not off the hook yet.
Senator Richard Gordon, chairperson of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said the Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to clear them of liability in the smuggling of P6.4-billion "shabu" (methamphetamine hydrochloride) is not the complete story.
“Faeldon and Gambala may have been absolved in the importation of dangerous drugs but they are guilty of misfeasance and nonfeasance in allowing the entry of drugs through the green lane,” Gordon said. Authorities seized over 600 kilos of shabu worth P6.4 billion from two warehouses in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila on May 26, 2017.
“Maestrecampo, on the other hand, is guilty of malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance. The evidence shows that Maestrecampo provided aid in allowing the shipment of drugs to enter the country’s front doors smoothly through the green lane by providing HS codes. There is also evidence showing his involvement with Mark Taguba. What about Neil Estrella? He was the one who botched the seizure operations—facts pointed to the failure to have been done deliberately,” Gordon said.
Gordon said his committee is still investigating the "tara system" other than the importation of drugs.
Customs officials, Gordon said, may still be held liable for the "tara system" by committing bribery and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Gordon said Faeldon, who was the Customs chief, would possibly remain in detention at the Senate during the Christmas holidays.
“There is a price to pay for not answering and he is fully aware of that,” Gordon said.
The Senate cited Faeldon in contempt for refusing to attend the Senate blue ribbon committee hearings on the shabu shipment. Faeldon had said he had no faith in the impartiality of some of the committee members.
For his part, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III supported the view of Gordon saying that the possibility is not remote for Faeldon to spend not only Christmas in detention at the Senate but also New Year and even until the end of the 17th Congress in the year 2022.
Sotto said only Faeldon can change this if he will decide to cooperate with the committee and answer the questions thrown at him.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said the continued refusal of Faeldon to face the Senate and answer questions from the senators is his constitutional right but the Senate has also its constitutional duties to implement the rules and regulations. (VoxPop Philippines)