MANILA, Philippines — Blue Ribbon committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon briefly suspended the hearing into the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of crystal meth or “shabu” Tuesday morning to try and convince Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to respond to questioning by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
It was Faeldon’s first appearance at the inquiry after missing the last hearing when he was hospitalized for heart issues.
After Gordon’s opening statement, Trillanes asked Faeldon if there is corruption in the Bureau of Customs.
When Faeldon asked for 30 seconds to reply without interruption, Trillanes cut him off saying the question could be answered with a “Yes” or “No.”
Faeldon then clammed up, saying it would be “pointless for me to answer” questions from Trillanes, who he accused of spreading “baseless” accusations and judging him in media.
Gordon appealed to Faeldon several times and then called a recess to speak to him privately when the Customs chief said he would answer questions from other senators except Trillanes.
The hearing resumed when Faeldon agreed to respond to Trillanes.
