New investigation bureau chief to assume office Monday

Saturday, February 18, 2012

THE newly-designated head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Negros Occidental will be formally installed in a turn-over ceremony on Monday.

Lawyer Ferdinand Lavin takes over the post of Lawyer Jose Hermie Monsanto as the new NBI-Bacolod chief.

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Lavin issued a stern warning Friday against personalities who pose as agents as well as those who use or drop the name of the agency for their personal interest.

Lavin assured that the NBI office in Bacolod under his helm will be open to the media.

However, he also asked the media for some consideration on confidentiality concerns over sensitive cases the agency is investigating.

“I don’t think we can fully divulge information. Otherwise, we might compromise the investigation,” he pointed out.

Lavin, who was formerly assigned at the NBI central office, said among his priority is the improvement of the clearance system in the NBI office.

He noted that it presently takes at least two days for the applicants to get their clearances when it should take supposedly only a day.

The NBI office in Bacolod has to come up with a system to address the problem, he stressed.

He also said that structurally the NBI building has to be improved.

“I believe it can be set up in way that the getting of the clearance can be orderly without the applicants going to and fro following up their papers,” Lavin said.

Lavin also urged the public to report alleged fixers preying on the applicants wanting to acquire their clearances.

He said he has also asked for additional NBI investigators to augment the present NBI force here, adding that he will stop tapping the services of confidential agents.

He added that confidential agents can be considered as augmentation but they have to undergo rigid screening.

Confidential agents cannot operate on their own, unless they are being supervised by a regular agent under the NBI, Lavin said.