Gary Alejano was the one who recruited Nicanor Faeldon to join a mutiny back in the day, but more than a decade later, the former would rather not have anything to do with his fellow former Marine.

“I was the one who recruited him even if he is denying that he is part of the Magdalo right from the start,” said Alejano, now a representative of the Magdalo party list, told reporters in a press briefing on Tuesday, August 15.

If before the two sported the same red armbands, Alejano and Faeldon now find themselves on different sides of the political spectrum. Faeldon was appointed Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner by President Rodrigo Duterte. Alejano is part of the opposition bloc in the House of Representatives.

“Let’s put this on record that Commissioner Faeldon is no longer part of the Magdalo group. He has been removed from the group since 2005 when he escaped from prison,” Alejano said. 

“Because he promised that he would not escape and put the careers of our custodians in danger…. Kaya nung tumakas siya, ‘kinulong ‘yung ibang guwardiya doon. In fact, may gusto pang magpakamatay doon sa sama ng loob. Ang effect rin sa amin, para kaming mga traydor sa kanila. Nabartolina kami doon (when he escaped, some of the guards were jailed. In fact, one of them wanted to commit suicide out of frustration. We also came off as traitors, so they put us in solitary confinement),” recalled Alejano.

Alejano, Faeldon, and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV – all young military officers then – were arrested shortly after the failed mutiny.

Faeldon and the rest of the Magdalo eventually reconciled until right before the 2016 elections, when Faeldon “suddenly… went out in the open to defend [Duterte] and malign Magdalo,” said Alejano.

Alejano said Faeldon tried to deny “maligning” the Magdalo group, but a footage from a press conference proved otherwise. Their relationship didn’t end there, apparently.

“Right after the elections, he contacted me to help him in the BOC. He was trying to enlist my support and help in the BOC, but I said no, I will not [help] because of principle. You lambasted us in the last campaign, then after that, political purpose lang ‘yun (you say it’s just for political purposes)? No. I do not hold any grudges, but I cannot work that way,” said Alejano.

Faeldon eventually did recruit former soldiers – some of them former mutineers – into the BOC. 

Alejano also disowned at least two of them: Gerardo Gambala and Milo Maestrecampo. The two had pled guilty during their trial.

“The effect of them pleading guilty is that we were also guilty, but the difference is that they were pardoned. How about us? We would be convicted and sent to Muntinlupa,” said Alejano.

Faeldon, Gambala, and Maestrecampo are in the middle of a huge scandal in the bureau over how P6.4-billion worth of shabu from China made it past their checks. They have denied corruption allegations. – Rappler.com