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[av_heading heading=’ Athlete-staffers make BOC look good – ex-PBA player ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players said the athletes Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon hired in the Customs work for the bureau’s “image-building.”
Edward Joseph Feihl told a House of Representatives inquiry yesterday they receive a salary of up to P40,000 a month for this.
“Sa ngayon nasa direct training kami sa intelligence,” Feihl said “Wala pa po kaming work as intelligence (agents).”
Kenneth Duremdes, on the other hand, said Faeldon personally hired him to do community work that aims to convince the public that the bureau is no longer a corrupt government agency.
That basketball players are meeting with them makes it easier to speak with the locals, especially if the meeting is in a basketball court, Duremdes said. “Mas madali silang bigyan ng information sa reform sa bureau.”
While the athlete-staffers were deemed unfit for the job, especially on gathering intelligence information on smuggling, they help improve Customs’ image, said Atty. Mandy Anderson, Faeldon’s chief of staff.
“They [still] provide intelligence work by getting feedback from people on what they want Customs to do,” Anderson said. “The commissioner put in a lot of projects. Whatever he does is good for the bureau.”
Other former PBA players present at the House inquiry were Bernzon Franco, Ronjay Enrile, Marlou Aquino, Gherome Ejercito, and Michael Sumalinog./PN
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