Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque stressed that Faeldon's appointment as deputy administrator III of the Office of Civil Defense was part of the "exclusive prerogative of the president." "The President is the appointing authority and Mr. Faeldon, with his new appointment, certainly enjoys the Chief Executive’s trust and confidence," he said. Faeldon's appointment to another government post came despite Duterte's past avowal that he would not hesitate to fire officials even for a "whiff of corruption." This, Trillanes said, was the reason why Faeldon was treated by the president as a "sacred cow" in appointing him to a new post. "Faeldon knows the dark secrets of the Duterte family that's why even if he is grossly incompetent he remains a sacred cow," Trillanes said on Wednesday just after the Palace released Faeldon's appointment letter.

Source: Philippine Star December 28, 2017 10:07 UTC