MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said Monday that fired Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon could not be involved in the reported corruption at the agency and might have only been hoodwinked by alleged corrupt lower-ranking officials.

“Personal ang kaniyang tingin doon. Ibig sabihin, hindi siya involved. Kumbaga parang sa Customs, napalusutan siya na naman,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a briefing.

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“Eh, mahihirapan din naman kasi kung ‘yung mga tao dun ever since, panahon pa ng ilang administrasyon dati na nilang ginagawa ‘yun,” he added.

Panelo issued the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his continuing trust in Faeldon despite firing him for “disobeying” his order on the release of heinous crime convicts under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law.

READ: Duterte still trusts Faeldon: he is an ‘upright man’

READ: Duterte to Faeldon: You’re fired

Duterte has appointed Faeldon thrice to various positions in government.

The President first named Faeldon as Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief in June 2016. He stayed at the helm of the bureau until he was relieved in August 2017, following the entry of P6.4 billion worth of illegal drugs into the country that apparently slipped past BOC’s monitoring.

Faeldon was then transferred to the Office of Civil Defense where he served as deputy administrator for operations from December 2017 until October 2018.

Duterte then appointed Faeldon as Director-General of BuCor in November 2018. Faeldon, however, was sacked last September 4 as BuCor boss in the wake of public uproar against the impending release of convicted rapist-murderer, former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez.

“The guilt of Mr. Faeldon, whether administrative or criminal, will depend on the investigation, Senate and Ombudsman,” said Panelo, assuring that Duterte will respect the investigations being carried out by the Office of the Ombudsman and Congress on the reported corruption at BuCor. /kga

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