Lacson, Trillanes unfazed by Faeldon ethics raps

MANILA, Philippines — Senators Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday shrugged off the plan of resigned Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon’s to file separate ethics complaints against them.

According to Faeldon’s lawyer, Jose Diño Jr, the former Customs chief will file an ethics complaint against Lacson on Monday.

The ethics complaint against Trillanes will be filed the week after.

“It is the right of anybody to file an ethics complaint against any senator. In fact, that was the advice to him by Senator (Richard) Gordon when he visited him in his detention place,” Lacson said.

The Senate on Monday detained Faeldon after he refused to testify before the blue ribbon committee. He voluntarily put himself in Senate custody.

“That man seems to not run out of gimmicks. But at the end of the day, he needs to answer our question,” Trillanes said.

Trillanes accused Faeldon, a fellow mutineer in the 2003 Oakwood siege, of being at the heart of the smuggling of shabu from China.

Faeldon was the commissioner when the shipment slipped past Customs.

He resigned over allegations of corruption and incompetence, and was replaced by former Drug Enforcement chief Isidro Lapeña.

Futile and stupid attempt

Diño cried foul over Lacson’s privilege speech last month, in which the senator alleged Faeldon and other Customs officials received “tara” or bribes.

“That is not an accusation, that is not an insinuation. That is categorical declaration of guilt of serious criminal offenses of bribery and graft and corruption,” Diño said.

He added: “Where is your evidence? We waited for a few days, few weeks. It has been 21 days since that privilege speech wala pa pong ebidensya?”

But privilege speeches are, as the name implies, privileged and, according to the Senate website, members "cannot be prosecuted for any words spoken in debate or in connection with voting or used in written reports or with things generally done in a session of either House in relation to the business before it." 

According to Section 11, Article VI of the Constitution, “a senator or member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses be punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in Congress or in any committee thereof.”

The Senate Committee, however, can discipline a member for improper speech or behavior.

“Therefore, it is his right to waste bond paper and ink. Anyway, he has the money to pay his lawyers even if it’s tantamount to an exercise in futility and stupidity,” Lacson.