THE National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI) 7 has a new leader at the helm. Jose Ermie Monsanto was officially installed as the agency's 21st regional director during a turnover ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
Director Monsanto is bringing a fresh "proactive" strategy to the region. Instead of waiting for people to come to the office to report crimes, the NBI 7 will now actively seek out complainants. This shift follows new directives from the NBI central office in Manila.
Monsanto also sent a clear message about how his office will handle legal battles, promising fairness for everyone involved.
“We will use our office to prosecute, not to persecute. We will decide cases, we will resolve cases based on evidence, not based on personalities,” Monsanto stated.
Under this new leadership, the NBI 7 will focus its investigative power on several high-stakes issues affecting the community:
Flood Control Projects: Investigating controversies surrounding local infrastructure.
Corruption: Looking into allegations of government misconduct.
Environmental Laws: Cracking down on violations that harm the region's nature.
Monsanto is a highly experienced official with a background as both a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a lawyer. He is no stranger to Cebu, having started his NBI career right here as an agent back in 1991.
Before this new appointment, he served as the regional director in Zamboanga and has worked across Visayas and Mindanao. He has a long history of taking down counterfeit goods operations and prosecuting illegal businesses.
Monsanto takes over from lawyer Rennan Augustus Oliva, who is moving to a new post in Eastern Visayas as part of a nationwide NBI reorganization.