MANILA -- Despite former Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon's detainee status at the Senate, Malacanang on Thursday defended his appointment as Deputy Administrator for the Office of Civil Defense as proof of President Rodrigo Duterte's "trust" in him.
In a radio interview, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said as a lawyer himself, President Duterte is granting Faeldon the presumption of innocence and chance to still serve in the government.
"Patuloy pa rin po ang tiwala sa kaniya ng Presidente, at alam ninyo naman po ang appointment iyan talaga ay executive in nature," he said.
"Ibig sabihin pa lang niyan, bagama’t may mga paratang laban kay dating Commissioner Faeldon, hanggang hindi napapatunayan, ang Presidente naman bilang abogado ay bibigyan siya ng presumption of innocence at binibigyan siya ng pagkakataon na manilbihan uli sa gobyerno," he added.
"Itong Office of Civil Defense po, ito iyong gumagawa ng mga polisiya para po sa response natin kapag nagkaroon ng mga aberya," the official explained.
"Kinakailangan isang pinagkakatiwalaan talaga ng Presidente, dahil napakadaming buhay ang nakasalalay dito sa tamang pagganap ng kanilang katungkulan dito sa Office of Civil Defense."
According to Roque, the chief executive believes that Faeldon, as a member of Magdalo, has "principles," therefore he cannot judge him merely on the accusations being hurled against him.
Currently, Faeldon is detained at the Senate for snubbing a public hearing on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment that slipped past the nose of the BOC.
In a letter dated December 22, Faeldon was informed of his appointment as new deputy administrator of the Department of National Defense office, replacing Rodolfo Demosthenes Santillan.
According to Roque, his detention will not deter him from functioning as deputy administrator since his duty is mainly focused on policy making and not implementation.
"Sinabi naman ng ating mga senador, puwede pa rin siyang magtrabaho kasi policy making naman itong Office of Civil Defense. Hindi siya talaga iyong implementation, siya iyong gumagawa ng mga plano at mga hakbang para kung nagkaroon ng aberya," he explained.
"Tingin namin ay hindi naman magiging balakid itong pagkakadeteni kay dating Commissioner Faeldon, Assistant Secretary Faeldon ngayon, diyan sa Senado."
Asked if there is a possibility for the executive department to encourage Faeldon to appear in the next inquiries, Roque said it is up to the former BOC chief.
"Nasa kaniya po iyan. Hindi po namin panghihimasukan iyan pero ngayon mayroon na siyang bagong katungkulan, baka naman po maisip ni Captain Faeldon na itigil na nga ito nang sa gayun ay makapag-discharge na siya ng kaniyang katungkulan on a full time basis," he said.
According to the official, Faeldon's appointment is deemed effective once he take an oath. "Kailangan lang po ay manumpa siya at puwede naman po siyang manumpa maski siya ay nakakulong diyan sa Senado." (PNA)
