Lawmakers confused why NBI’s budget slashed with sensitive cases it handles

The NBI headquarters in Manila. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The budget cut suffered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has left lawmakers at the House of Representatives confused as the agency has been known for handling many sensitive cases especially when the government seeks an impartial probe on an issue.

Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento asked on Thursday why NBI’s proposed budget for 2022 was cut down by 13 percent compared to their 2021 funding, whereas the Department of Justice (DOJ) budget also showed 0.53 percent of its original proposal — from P51 billion to just around P24.8 billion.

The 13 percent cut, NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor said, represents P342 million of funds.

“Mr. chair ang hinihingi pong budget nila is P51 (billion), ang na-approved lang po at nasama sa NEP (National Expenditure Program) ay P24.8 billion, ito po’y only 53 percent, mababa po.  Unang-una kong tanong Mr. Chair ay sa [NBI] sana, kasi nakikita ko po itong ahensya nagtatrabaho, bakit po bumababa yung nila budget nila by 13 percent?” Sarmiento asked.

(Mr. chair, what DOJ is asking for is P51 billion, but what was approved and included in the National Expenditure Program is only P24.8 billion, which is just 53 percent, this is so low. My first question is — because I see NBI as a working agency — why did their budget decrease by 13 percent?)

“The relevance of this one Mr. chair is we don’t want to shortchange the [NBI] of their funding, sila po ang nagi-imbestiga ‘pag di kaya po ng military or uniformed service, pati sila po ‘yong nagsa-submit ng tinatawag na impartial imbestigasyon […] pwede pa po sila maging effective na investigating body na inaasahan po ng bansa natin,” he added.

(The relevance of this one Mr. chair is we don’t want to shortchange NBI of their funding, they do investigations when the military and the uniformed service cannot, and they also do impartial probes.  They can be a more efficient investigating body.)

Distor said that what was hit were funds that they would have allocated to beef up their anti-cybercrime capabilities.

“The budget of NBI in the amount of 13 percent represents the conditional insertions given to us last year, and we are also asking this amount to be included for next year’s budget to increase the capacity of our cybercrime (department) Mr. chair,” Distor explained.

Sarmiento moved to provide the slashed 13 percent back to the NBI, which was seconded by Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas.  Brosas in turn joked that the funds should be obtained from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) since it is just a small amount.

The House committee on appropriations was deliberating DOJ’s budget, which included attached agencies like NBI.

But aside from Sarmiento, Magsasaka Rep. Joseph Cabatbat also noticed NBI’s small funds, asking why the bureau has no academy of its own where aspiring and incumbent agents could train advance their skill.

Distor replied that they sometimes resort to using private areas to work out like commercial gyms, while sometimes they do preparations at public spaces like Rizal Park — putting agents in danger as they are exposed.

“It is not really enough, in fact, we are sometimes constrained to do our physical exercises in a gym, which is not conducive and sometimes we would ask facilities outside like in Luneta, which expose our agents, and ‘yon nga po Mr. Chair, nakikiusap sana ako  (and that’s it Mr. chair, we are appealing) to give us space and somebody to sponsor for the establishment of the NBI Academy,” Distor said.

“Kawawa naman po pala ang NBI, walang academy, so Mr. Chair and my colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity, ask for your support, let us give the NBI their own academy that is similar, if not close to what the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has in the US,” he added.

NBI has been responsible for the investigation of many high-profile cases, especially in instances where an impartial or third-party investigating body is needed to step in.

The bureau was responsible for the probe about the misencounter between Army and police officers in Jolo, Sulu, where four soldiers died.  More recently, NBI filed cases against Quezon City Police District officers and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency over the bloody misencounter between two anti-drug forces along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

READ: NBI files murder raps vs 9 cops for death of 4 Army men in Jolo | NBI files raps vs 12 QC cops, 4 PDEA agents in drug ops ‘misencounter’ 

JPV