Press Release
August 5, 2010

Restructure and reorganization
of National Bureau of Investigation needed--Drilon

"It is high time that we restructure and reorganize the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), to make it attuned with modern techniques in investigation for the bureau to be more effective and reliable in helping us bring justice for many of our countrymen."

This was the statement of Senator Franklin Drilon when he filed Senate Bill No. 128, otherwise known as the "National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act of 2010."

According to Drilon, there is a need to strengthen the investigative body through a series of modernization programs geared towards the acquisition of state-of-the-art investigative and intelligence equipment, the establishment of forensic and scientific laboratories.

"Last year's Maguindanao Massacre where 57 innocent civilians were killed, brings to light the sad fact that our capacity to solve crimes is at an all time low." Drilon declared.

"The deplorable conditions of our criminal laboratories, especially those of the NBI, have made us a laughing stock all over the world, and this must stop. This bill, once passed into law, will pave the way for our crime fighting equipment to be at par with the modern world," Drilon added.

Besides the modernization of crime gathering equipment and facilities, Senate Bill No. 128 also aim to effect the reorganization and expansion of the NBI. Among the measures that will be included, Drilon said, will be the upgrading of employee benefits, such as health care, accident insurance and scholarship grants to deserving employees.

"Another reason our crime gathering capabilities are at an all time low is that our agents are underpaid, and I do believe that this is a major cause for low morale among the ranks, which, in turn, affect the way people trust our criminal investigators," Drilon said.

"Upgrading the ranks through salary adjustments and giving them much needed health care, accident insurance, legal assistance and scholarship grants will go a long way in jump-starting the modernization of the NBI," Drilon added.

The "National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act of 2010" aims to strengthen the NBI by redefining, expanding, rationalizing, reorganizing and modernizing the bureau, at the same time upgrading its employee benefits to ensure the effective and efficient investigation of crimes, collection of evidence, and arrest of suspects all in the aid of prosecution of crimes.

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