Faeldon aide hit for calling Speaker ‘imbecile’

MANILA, Philippines -  A female aide of Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon got a tongue-lashing from officials of the House of Representatives after calling Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez an “imbecile” in one of her Facebook posts.

The House committee, headed by Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, is investigating the government’s confiscation of P6.4 billion worth of shabu at a warehouse in Valenzuela City by the BOC last May.

“Why do you call the Speaker an imbecile? The Congress has the power to abolish the Court of Appeals because the CA is a creation of Congress,” House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas warned lawyer Mandy Mercado Anderson yesterday. 

On her Facebook post last June 16, Anderson called Alvarez, an ally of President Duterte who heads the 294-man House, an “imbecile” in reaction to a news item wherein the Speaker threatened to dissolve the appellate court over the issue of the so-called “Ilocos 6.” 

“Isn’t there anyone else in the House composed of 200-plus representatives who can actually be speaker? Nakakahiya na (It’s shameful already),” the social media upload read.

Underscoring the fact that unlike her who is just a Faeldon appointee, Fariñas said congressmen are elected by the people and therefore have a mandate to serve. 

“You’re putting the entire House in a bad light...para mo kaming ginagawang gago (You seem to be making us all look like idiots),” the Ilocos Norte congressman told Anderson.

“You cannot go into name-calling, ma’am. Para kang hindi abogado (It seems that you’re not a lawyer),” Fariñas added.  

Faeldon, who attended the hearing of the House committee on ways and means following the discovery of billions worth of shabu from Customs personnel, said he chose Anderson as his chief of staff “because she was Top 5 in the Bar and a certified public accountant.”  

Anderson apologized to the lawmakers, but not to the Speaker, claiming she didn’t mean to insult anybody and was just “angry at that time over several issues.”

However, her continued smirking during interpellation from solons didn’t sit well with Fariñas. 

“You want to be funny? Because I can erase that smirk off your face if you want,” Fariñas told her. She quickly put on a serious face.

Faeldon said he learned of Anderson’s FB post on Wednesday. “I will submit tomorrow an official report on this issue.”

Deputy Speaker Miro Quimbo said Anderson could be disbarred over her action.

Quimbo manifested that “until this matter is sufficiently explained to the House, I will move that the BOC receive zero budget for the coming year.” 

“There is no way that a group of 290-plus imbeciles will approve the budget of an agency that calls it idiotic. There’s just no way,” he said.

Fariñas seconded the manifestation.

Anderson’s posts on social media were “unladylike” and “unbecoming” of a public official, Fariñas said.

He said the FB post was sent to him by a lot of members because they were taken aback.

“I could not believe it myself that a government official would do it,” Fariñas told reporters through Viber, where he shared a photo grab of Anderson’s post.