Faeldon not part of Magdalo -- Trillanes

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 10): Faeldon not part of Magdalo -- Trillanes

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday affirmed the statement of Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon who earlier denied that he was part of the Magdalo faction of the military.

Trillanes, a former Navy officer, was a member of the Magdalo Group that staged the infamous Oakwood Mutiny in 2003 to expose the alleged corruption of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Deputy Commissioner for Management Information System and Technology Group Gerardo Gambala and Import Assessment Division Director Milo Maestrecampo also confirmed that they were not part of the group.

“I would like to affirm the statements of Commissioner Faeldon, DepCom Gerry Gambala and Dir. Milo Maestrecampo that they are not part of the Magdalo Group,” Trillanes said in a press statement.

Trillanes, meanwhile, noted that he knew “well enough” that his classmates in the Philippine Military Academy, Gambala and Maestrecampo, were not part of the syndicate that facilitated the delivery of the PHP6.4 million worth of shabu in a warehouse in Valenzuela City.

Faeldon, in an earlier interview, said that he never joined the group but was part of the mutiny. Meanwhile, Gambala and Maestrecampo were former members.

He meanwhile expressed hope that the various investigations, which they are now facing, would determine their guilt or innocence.

However, Trillanes said that he also “had enough information” to say that Faeldon was “the heart of this controversy.”

He said that he also hoped Faeldon would “muster enough courage” to face the grilling of the senators and congressmen.

Faeldon is currently under fire for his alleged involvement in the illegal drug shipment.

Members of the House of Representatives earlier called for his resignation for allowing the shipment to slip through the BOC.

President Rodrigo Duterte, however, expressed his trust in Faeldon even as lawmakers are asking for his resignation and will await the results of the ongoing congressional investigations.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1005632