NBI Confidential Agent
Monday, July 3, 2017
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| NBI Badge |
A Few months ago, the The National Bureau of Investigation was in
the spotlight.
One NBI Confidential Agent was involved in the kidnap-slay of a
Korean businessman.
Some reports initially mentioned that an NBI Agent was the mastermind
in the kidnap and slay of the Korean businessman.
The Bureau denied that non of its agent nor special investigators
were involved in that incident.
The bureau said that the one involved in that particular crime is a
mere confidential or contractual agent and not an special agent nor
an special investigator.
If a contractual agent or confidential agent is not actually
a member of the NBI or not an organic personnel as the NBI
termed it, then what is an NBI Confidential agent?
The NBI was correct when it said that a confidential agent is not an
organic personnel of the NBI.
An organic member of the bureau are the ones who receive a regular
monthly salary as mandated by the salary standardization law and that
they are covered by the principle of security of tenure in public
office.
An NBI Confidential agent is not an organic member of the bureau
because he does not receive a regular salary from the government and
not entitled to security of tenure.
Take note that under Republic Act No.10867 or the law reorganizing
and modernizing the NBI, the position of NBI Confidential Agent
does not exist.
The law says that the NBI director may hire NBI Consultants and
designate NBI Informants for investigative purposes.
These persons may be issued mission orders and permits to carry
duly licensed firearms outside residence assisting the bureau in its
investigative work.
A Mission Order by the way is an authority from a government agency
to carry a firearm in pursuance of a specific mission or task on
behalf of the agency.
This authority is usually derived from the law or organic Act
creating the agency. Mission Orders are usually issued to agents or
employees of the specific agency.
These NBI Informants or commonly called NBI Confidential Agents are
appointed by the NBI Director.
At present, the appointment of these so called confidential agents
were suspended by the DOJ Secretary.
These Confidential Agents are mostly professionals and businessmen
recruited by NBI agents to act as informants.
They are issued badges similar to those issued to regular agents.
But unlike the NBI Special Agents and NBI Special Investigators,
these informants/confidential agents undertakes a few days of basic
intelligence gathering training.
A Fact Finding report found out that the number of confidential agents
has so ballooned that it has now outnumbered the existing NBI
personnel complement of the NBI.
The National Bureau of Investigations is under the Department of
Justice in the same way that the Philippine National Police is
under the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
