NBI sees broader law enforcement role

Speaking to reporters, NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said the growing population creates more tasks for the agency which has remained small compared to the Philippine National Police. (File Photo By mark pedron (Wikipedia Takes Manila participant)/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday said it sees a greater role in law enforcement in the near future.

Speaking to reporters, NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said the growing population creates more tasks for the agency which has remained small compared to the Philippine National Police.

“Masyadong limitado yung aming human resource, ‘yung aming agents (Our human resource, agents, remain limited) , we have less than 600 agents for a population of what, 100 million as compared to the other law enforcement agency which has 190,000 strong,” Lavin said on the sidelines of the bureau’s 83rd founding anniversary celebration.

He said the agency’s caseload necessitates a prudent allocation of resources.

“(We have a case load) that’s very heavy, but we try to pick out some agents from the other divisions, that’s how we take on cases, we have to pool our resources, regional and Manila-based agencies,” he said.

Its precursor agency, the Division of Investigation, was formed in 1936 upon approval of Commonwealth Act No. 181 by the legislature upon the prodding of the late President Manuel L. Quezon and Jose A. Yulo.

New York Police Department (NYPD) veteran, Thomas Dugan, and a Filipino officer at the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, Flaviano C. Guerrero, were tasked to head the bureau with an initial 45 men recruited as agents.

A staff composed of technicians, photographers, stenographers, and chemists complemented investigators.

The Division of Investigation was renamed as NBI under Republic Act 157 on June 19, 1947.