MANILA — Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña confirmed that former Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon received some PHP107 million worth of ‘pasalubong’ (payoffs) during his stint.
Senator Panfilo Lacson bared this in a television interview on Tuesday saying that Lapeña went to his office before one of the hearings and informed the senator about his discovery.
“No less than Commissioner Lapena testified, he confirmed that there’s indeed pasalubong money. And he confided to me that ‘Sir di PHP100 million ang kay Faeldon, sabi niya PHP107 ang inabot (Sir, it wasn’t just PHP100 million given to Faeldon, it was PHP107 million),” Lacson said.
Lacson admitted that he also found the amount of bribe money being circulated “mind-boggling” and “unimaginable.”
According to his sources in the BOC, Lacson said that 40 percent of the BOC shipment involved bribery.
Lacson, meanwhile, said that he did not sign the committee report of the Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Senator Richard Gordon, on the PHP 6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment because he still had reservations.
“I indicated as much to Senator Gordon when he was routing the committee report. I told him I will not sign it yet. I would like to read it because it seemed lacking, especially in the case of some Customs officials including Faeldon,” Lacson said.
Last month, Lacson filed a graft and economic sabotage complaint against Faeldon over his alleged involvement in rice smuggling.
He also delivered a privilege speech exposing Faeldon as having received some PHP100 million worth of payoffs in August. (PNA)
