A little over a year since they assumed their respective posts, the top two officials of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) have been promoted to positions in the agency’s headquarters in Manila.
President Benigno Aquino III has appointed NBI-7 director Antonio Pagatpat and assistant regional director Jose Doloiras as the new deputy director for Special Investigation and deputy director for Regional Operation Services, respectively.
Pagatpat will replace Ruel Lasala while Doloiras will take over the post vacated by the new NBI Director Virgilio Mendez.
Lasala and outgoing NBI deputy director Reynaldo Esmeralda were both replaced by the president due to “trust and integrity issues.”
Esmeralda will be replaced by Ricardo Pangan Jr.
The other two appointments were made to fill the vacancies created by the promotion of Mendez as NBI director and the retirement of NBI deputy director Rickson Chiong last November 2013.
Chiong will be replaced by Edward Villarta who once served as NBI-7 director.
Pagatpat, a native of Tacloban City, assumed his post as director of the NBI-7 in January 2013.
He has been serving the NBI for 24 years.
Pagatpat became regional director of the NBI-8 in Tacloban City for five years and NBI -5 in Bicol for two years before he was transferred to Cebu.
In a media interview yesterday, Pagatpat said assuming a higher position entails a wider range of work and a bigger role to play.
“With promotion comes a bigger challenge and a bigger responsibility,” he said.
Doloiras, who became assistant director of the NBI-7 in early 2013, will also assume a higher post in the NBI which is under the supervision of the Department of Justice.
Doloiras is a certified public accountant and a career service officer IV. Before working for the NBI in 1988, he was with the Department of Budget and Management.
Director Mendez has yet to appoint the replacements of Pagatpat and Doloiras.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the four new appointees will be joining the NBI Directorial Staff along with Director Virgilio Mendez, Assistant Director Medardo De Lemos and Deputy Directors Edmundo Arugay and Rafael Ragos.
De Lima said the reorganization of the NBI aims at “ensuring the integrity and competency of our nation’s premier investigative agency.”
Last year, the justice chief said deputy directors of the NBI should have resigned instead of NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas.
Rojas resigned after the president said there were “less trustworthy” officials at the NBI.
President Aquino claimed that the NBI officials have ties to the two senators linked to the pork barrel scam although he didn’t mention any names.
When asked why two deputy directors of the NBI were removed from their post, De Lima replied that “they are presidential appointees, hence, they serve at the pleasure of the president. No need to cite a particular reason.”
Meanwhile, Pagatpat said the reorganization will not affect operation of NBI-7 especially the handling of high-profile cases like the ambush-slay of lawyer Noel Archival./With reports from Inquirer News Service and Correspondent Chito O. Aragon