DOJ chief orders inventory of NBI ‘assets’ and ‘strikers’

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. EDWIN BACASMAS/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has ordered an ‘inventory’ of all assets and ‘strikers’ at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The order came after one of the bureau’s strikers, Jerry Omlang, came out and admitted involvement in the abduction of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo.

Omlang, at a press conference, said he was the one seen at a CCTV footage withdrawing from an ATM machine. He added that he also took part in the surveillance of Jee. He said it was Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel, his long time friend, who invited him to join the job.

READ: NBI asset in Jee’s kidnap-murder case surfaces, vows to tell all

Omlang said he sought the NBI’s protection because he had been receiving death threats from “Col. Dumlao AIDG.”

NBI Director Dante Gierran said the strikers were not connected to the bureau.

A ‘striker’ or an errand boy or girl is a volunteer who stays at the agency and does menial jobs from the officials and employees, like buy them food or make coffee for them. They have no salary. They only receive “tips” after doing an errand.

“I have already ordered the NBI to conduct an inventory of all these confidential agents, assets, civilian informants, strikers,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre said unauthorized people with access to the bureau could abuse such advantage.

“I want to know how many are there so we will know what to do,” he added./rga