Ilocos prosecutor tapped as NBI officer in charge

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday designated the chief prosecutor of the Ilocos Region, Nonnatus Caesar Rojas, as concurrent officer in charge (OIC) of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Rojas, head of the association of regional prosecutors of the Philippines, replaces Magtanggol Gatdula, who was sacked after being implicated in the abduction and illegal detention of a Japanese national.

The Secretary explained that she decided to appoint an outsider to temporarily head the NBI while she mulls over a reshuffle or revamp of the country’s premier investigating agency. She said a permanent replacement could be decided within a month.

She also said Rojas would fulfill only some administrative functions while she herself would temporarily assume major decision-making powers in the NBI.

In her Department Order No. 055, De Lima said Rojas, who will take over as the NBI’s OIC on Jan. 30, would oversee the day-to-day administration of the NBI in addition to his existing duties and responsibilities as regional prosecutor.

“Such designation shall not include the power to act on matters involving policy determination, approval of long-term contracts and transactions, appointment and firing of personnel, and other matters which, by their nature, are essentially within the authority of the Secretary of Justice,” the order added.

In an interview, De Lima said she initially considered an NBI insider but was having difficulty choosing among the deputy directors since the President gave her the go-signal to undertake a reshuffle or revamp in the agency.

“I just want somebody who will really handle things directly under my supervision and direction, anyway it is only temporary and might not take longer than one month while we are looking for a worthy replacement,” De Lima said.

Earlier, De Lima dismissed insinuations that Gatdula’s removal as NBI chief had something to do with an alleged falling out between President Benigno Aquino III and the influential religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), of whom Gatdula is a member.

“Politics, or for that matter, any other alleged hidden agenda or including the ‘Iglesia’ angle, had nothing to do with Gatdula’s dismissal. Such suppositions, if at all, can only be intrigues,” De Lima said.

She said the President based his decision to replace Gatdula “on his own appreciation of the results of the fact-finding investigation,” which showed Gatdula had met with the Japanese national, Noriyo Ohara, who complained she was the victim of a P6-million extortion operation.

The rift between Aquino and INC was reportedly sparked by the sect’s support for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In a text message, NBI deputy director for technical services Reynaldo Esmeralda expressed support for the designation of Rojas.

“As a true professional, I will support wholeheartedly whatever decisions the President and the Secretary of Justice make on the leadership of the NBI,” he said.

Earlier, Esmeralda and NBI assistant director Medardo de Lemos expressed the hope that the replacement of Gatdula would come from within the bureau, if not, from their directorial staff. With a report from Jaymee T. Gamil