Why Duterte coddles Faeldon

President Duterte’s undiminished confidence on former Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon even after 604 kilos of shabu worth P6.4 billion got passed his bureau’s watch and ended up in a Bulacan warehouse has been puzzle to many.

Duterte’s lack of outrage over the incompetence of Faeldon and his men rendered his war against drugs which has claimed the lives of some 20,000 suspected drug addicts and pushers a farce.

Not only did he not sanction Faeldon and his associates, he appointed them to other important government positions.

Former military officers Gerardo Gambala, whom Faeldon recruited as deputy customs commissioners and Milo Maestrecampo, custom’s import assessment services director were recycled to the Department of Transportation as Office of Transportation Security Director and as assistant director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, respectively.

Duterte also re-appointed two BOC officials accused of allegedly accepting bribes from smugglers Ariel Nepomuceno and Teddy Raval as customs deputy commissioners.

Faeldon was cleared of charges, not even sanctioned for negligence by the Department of Justice under then Vitaliano Aguirre II. (But earlier this month the Office of the Ombudsman’s special fact-finding team recommended graft and illegal drug charges against Faeldon over the smuggling of P6.4 billion shabu shipment into the country.)

Not only was Faeldon cleared by Malacanang. He was appointed deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense under the Department of National Defense.

People wonder what’s Faeldon’s hold on Duterte that makes him valuable to the strongman?

Last Saturday in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Philippine National Games in Cebu City, Duterte addressed the issue of his coddling of Faeldon. “Mao na kani ba. Akong hisgutan man ni si… Nganong… I’d like to make it public. Nganong si Faeldon, naa gihapon sa ako, ingon nila may kaso na? You know, Faeldon was responsible for the recovery of smuggled cigarettes nga fake stamp gani; and si Dominguez, insisted sa gi-compute niya’g pila. Si Faeldon ‘tung naghunghong sa ako nga ‘Sir, tirahon ta na, billion na.’ And we earned P40 billion. (Let’s talk about Fealdon. I’d like to make it public. Why did I keep Faeldon in my administration? They say that he already has a case filed against him. You know, Faeldon was responsible for the recovery of smuggled cigarettes with fake stamps. And Dominguez insisted that they computed how much it’s worth. Faeldon was the one who told me that it’s worth billions. And we earned 40 billion.) “

He cleared Faeldon of involvement in illegal drugs: “Mao nang di ko mutuo nga si Faeldon involved sa droga. Naisahan lang siya. He was sucked into the vortex of..Mao nang hangtod karon, naa ko’y — sa Magdalo. Nag-away away man na sila sa Magdalo. Pero kaning si Faeldon, mao na nga hangtod karon, gi-appoint na pud nako sa Department of Defense sa… (That’s why I don’t believe that Faeldon is involved in drugs. He was just sucked into the vortex of — that’s why until now I — Oh, Magdalo. He had a fight with Magdalo. But now I appointed Faeldon in the Department of Defense.) “

Duterte continued his defense of Faeldon: “Di ko mutuo eh. Siya ra man pud tung nahibaw og asa tung… And to say nga “Sir, meron akong raid ngayon. Pera ito. Kikita ang gobyerno.” So giingnan nako tung Mighty, giingnan nako “P***, kung di mubayad, presuhon. T*** i**.” Ingon nako, “Presuha na, ayaw na pagawasa. Patya na diha sa sulod.” Eh, alangan. (I don’t believe that he’s involved. He’s the only one who knows where… And to say, “Sir, meron akong raid ngayon. Pera ito. Kikita ang gobyerno.” So I told Mighty, “P*** if you refuse to pay, you’ll go to jail. T*** i**.” I said, “Jail them and don’t ever let them out. Kill them there.”)

Naa ngari nanikas og… Maski 50 million, ah ihawon ta mo. Wa mo’y bayad bayad. Earned 40 billion. Unya og gusto siya mangwarta, eh ‘di nitiklop na lang siya, wa na siya manabi. Kato klaro gud to mao nang — ako di ko magtuo. Nasabit siya. Naisahan siya didto. Anyway, istorya lang man na. (There are people here who attempted to cheat us of… 50 million. You never paid anything. Earned 40 billion. If they still want to make more money – — So that’s what we believe here. Faeldon was just caught in a trap.)

If Faeldon was “sucked into the vortex” or “caught in a trap” doesn’t that make him a liability?

Not in Duterte’s eyes. He even stood as godfather to Faeldon’s son last month.