NBI beefs up requirements for clearance applications

The National Bureau of Investigation has strengthened its requirements for clearance applications following reports that unscrupulous people were able to obtain clearances using fictitious identities.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring recently ordered regional directors, and officers-in-charge of satellite offices to ask for additional requirements from clearance applicants.

The new requirements for each applicant are two valid identification cards or documents with signatures and pictures of the applicant, for verification of identity.

Among the valid identification cards that the NBI would accept are company ID, school ID, passport, voters ID, postal ID, drivers' license, and Professional Regulations Commission license.

Any two of these IDs shall be presented upon payment at the counter where the applicant will be given an application form that he or she fills up before proceeding to the data checking counter.

A photocopy of previous NBI clearance will not be accepted anymore either for new or renewal application.

All applicants, both for new or for renewal, shall be required now to fill up a new application form.

Anthony Liongson, NBI deputy director for technical services, also required NBI employees in charge of the issuance of clearance to list down the corresponding number of the ID presented.

The NBI earlier discovered that some unscrupulous people have applied for clearance using fictitious identity.

There was also a case where only one person had applied on behalf of several people using only his fingerprints.

Most of these fictitious applications were used to obtain clearances to support some illegal activities like what was recently discovered at the Department of Foreign Affairs where four passport applicants were found to have secured NBI clearances using aliases. - Fred P. Languido/RAE