Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has recommended Undersecretary Hermogenes T. Andres as acting director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), following the resignation of NBI Director Jaime Santiago.
DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV confirmed the recommendation on Monday, Aug. 18, stating that Andres would temporarily assume the post.
Clavano said the NBI is under the jurisdiction of the DOJ’s law enforcement cluster which Undersecretary Andres heads.
Thus, it was Remulla’s decision to have the head of the law enforcement cluster be appointed as acting NBI director, he also said.
Meanwhile, Clavano assured that the DOJ does not intend to investigate Santiago over allegations of corruption and irregularities at the NBI.
“The director enjoys the trust and confidence of our dear Secretary Remulla. He is a man of principle, he was the man that executed the instructions of the President and the secretary to the very letter at marunong din po mag-update and mag-report,” he added.
Clavano explained that “we, at the DOJ, have always been and always will be evidence based.”
“It will not warrant an investigation unless there are pieces of evidence that come out that would support the allegations,” he said.
In his resignation letter addressed to the President dated Aug. 15, Santiago said “detractors and those who have sinister interest in my position incessantly make moves to blemish my reputation.”
“I cannot allow this seemingly orchestrated move to blacken my reputation which I molded through the years,” added Santiago, a former policeman, prosecutor, and trial court judge. (Jeffrey Damicog)
