Duterte assigns Faeldon to Office of Civil Defense

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), disaster-response agnecy under the Department of National Defense (DND).

Faeldon was appointed as a deputy administrator of the OCD, replacing Rodolfo Santillan. His appointment letter was dated December 22.

The ex-commissioner left his post after being involved in the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu shipment from China that slipped past the bureau.

In August, Duterte said that he had accepted Faeldon’s resignation after his name was dragged to the smuggling case in the BOC.

Upon accepting his resignation, the President said,”From the tone of his resignation, he’s very disappointed but I really believe he is an honest man.”

Duterte later announced that former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Isidro Lapeña will take over the reins from Faeldon as the new Customs commissioner.

The Chief Executive said he would give the ex-commissioner another post, citing that he has no reason to doubt the “government would need Faeldon.”

The former commissioner is currently detained at the Senate after he refused to make an appearance at the chamber’s hearings on the drug smuggling allegations.