NBI SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO FIXED TERM -- PIMENTEL

A proposal is now being considered by the Senate that will entitle the head of the countrys premier crime-probe body to security of tenure.

The proposal is embodied in Senate Bill 2545, authored by Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban), which provides that the director of the National Bureau of Investigation, will have a term of five years without reappointment.

The NBI director will be appointed by the President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments.

Pimentel said the security of tenure of the NBI director will help professionalize the bureau and boost its crime-fighting capability.

The fixed term of office is intended to insulate the head of the NBI from pressures or influence from any individual or group that may undermine the performance of the investigative and law enforcement tasks of the bureau, he explained.

The proposed fixed term of the NBI director was crafted by Pimentel in response to the recommendation of the NBI officials and crime investigators themselves who have been complaining that the lack of security of tenure for the NBI head has made him and the bureau susceptible to interference and pressure from powerful politicians.

We hope that the proposal will help enhance the NBIs ability to perform its mandate with the highest standards of professionalism and impartiality.

Senate Bill 2545 will amend Republic Act 157 which created the NBI.