GIVE everyone a fair chance in justice and be thorough in your work, Special Investigator (SI) V Arnel Pura of the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas Regional Office (NBI-CEVRO) said.
“Dapat may malasakit ka at nagko-contribute ka sa institusyon (Have empathy and contribute to the institution). There needs to be thoroughness and legality in every case,” Pura told SunStar Cebu.
Pura received his third Special Investigator Achiever of the Year award during the NBI’s 81st anniversary.
NBI-CEVRO garnered 160,000 points, making them the number one unit nationwide.
Of all cases filed by NBI-CEVRO, 196 were filed by Pura.
“I am blessed with self-motivated investigators and agents here in Cebu. They are all the best in their field,” Atty. Patricio Bernales Jr., NBI 7 director, told SunStar Cebu.
Bernales said the unit will work overtime to remain the top performing regional office next year.
“I’d like to congratulate the team for a job well done. The hard part of the equation is how to defend the award next year, so there’s more work to be done,” Bernales said.
Pura, 49, in an interview, said he is grateful for the award.
“For this year, I have filed 196 cases. That included high-profile ones like raids on drugs dens, the automated teller machine skimming by the Romanians, the online gambling operated by Korean nationals and the Pulangbato murder case,” Pura said.
Last year, Pura also received the same commendation from the national headquarters.
He has been with the NBI for 24 years as special investigator.
“You must have patience and hard work. Dapat mag-strive ka under the guidance of the NBI’s core values of nobility, bravery and integrity,” Pura said.
He said that the hardest case he handled so far was the P9.4 million heist on the Land Bank of the Philippines in 2005.
“It was an inside job and the personalities involved were notorious,” Pura said.
A mechanical engineer and a law graduate, Pura said that public servants must have knowledge of the law.
“Sa pag-imbestigar, you must give the accused a fair chance and determine if the complainant’s grounds are valid, nga ang akusado kahibawo nga naa silay gihimong sayop, dili sila magmahay ba (the accused should realize they have done something wrong),” he said.
He hopes that their unit would maintain their performance and surpass their achievements in handling high-profile cases in the region.
His advice to those who aspire to become NBI agents was simple: “Don’t give up easily.” (JOB)