NBI’s role in drug war still hangs

The role of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the government’s war against illegal drugs is still uncertain as the agency recently dissolved its two anti-drug units.

Sources revealed the NBI dissolved its Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit that was later renamed to Special Action Unit (SAU) to handle other cases.

The unit, still composed of mostly the same agents from the defunct AIDD, previously filed drug charges against detained Sen. Leila de Lima.

The senator was accused of receiving bribes from convicted drug lords on the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison during her term as justice secretary.

The defunct AIDD previously worked on catching the suspects allegedly responsible for distributing illegal drugs during a concert at mall grounds in Pasay City in May last year. Five people, two of them minors, died from overdose.

The NBI also dissolved the Task Force Against Illegal Drugs (TFAID) last March 10, or nearly eight months after it was formed.

In the administrative order issued by NBI director Dante Gierran, it said “effective immediately, the NBI Task Force Against Illegal Drugs created under Administrative Order 8, Series of 2016 dated 19 July 2016 is hereby dissolved.”

Gierran also ordered the agents and personnel comprising the NBI-TFAID to return to their respective mother units.

Most of the agents of the NBI-TFAID at its main office in Manila were veterans from the Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division (AOTCD) and the National Capital Region (NCR) office.

Upon his assumption to office, Gierran proposed the creation of a task force which would work solely in line with President Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.

The unit was behind the seizure of 890 kilos or P6 billion worth of shabu during a series of raids in Pasay City and on two alleged shabu laboratories in San Juan City in December last year.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the seizure was the biggest in the NBI’s history.

The accomplishment would soon be overshadowed by the alleged involvement of certain NBI officials in the kidnapslay of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in October last year.

Police Supt. Rafael Dumlao III, team leader of SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel who allegedly masterminded the killing of the Korean businessman, implicated former NBI-NCR director Ricardo Diaz, former NBI deputy director for investigation service Jose Justo Yap, agent Darwin Lising and former NBI-TFAID chief Roel Bolivar in the killing.

The murder prompted President Duterte to remove the NBI in the war against drugs just after he also told the Philippine National Police to stop its infamous “Oplan Tokhang.”

Aguirre said he signed a department order authorizing again the NBI to join the government’s war on drugs.

“Our President has returned to the NBI the power and authority to investigate and, if necessary, to arrest and raid in drug operations,” he added.

Sources also said the restoration of the NBI’s role in the war on drugs was brought up during the latest Cabinet meeting.

NBI’s comeback on the war on drugs would supposedly be announced in a press conference soon, the source said.

NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin said the defunct NBI-TFAID “could be reinstated soon.”