NBI deputy chief also resigns

MANILA, Philippines - Following the example of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Nonnatus Caesar Rojas, Deputy Director for administrative services Edmundo Arugay tendered his resignation yesterday.

In a text message to reporters, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Arugay’s resignation is effective on Sept. 14 when he returns from an official mission abroad. 

At Malacañang, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Aquino has yet to act on the resignation letters of Rojas and Arugay.

“There is no update yet on the resignation of NBI Director Rojas,” he said.  “We will keep you apprised as soon as we have anything to announce. We will let you know at the soonest possible time.”    

Valte said she learned about Arugay’s letter only from Twitter. “I think it has not yet come to the President’s attention,” she said. “Certainly, it will be acted upon. The President will act on it in the appropriate manner.”

De Lima said three or four of the six NBI deputy directors have “trust and integrity issues” and had figured in alleged illicit and irregular activities. 

They are not the two NBI officials whom Aquino believed tipped off Janet Lim-Napoles about the arrest order from a Makati court last month, she added.

De Lima did not name the NBI officials, but absolved Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services Virgilio Mendez.

“He is not among those” in question, she said.

If the NBI officials do not resign, Aquino can always dismiss them and appoint others to replace them since they are not career executive service officers, De Lima said.

Mendez is the most visible of the NBI officials, having prominently figured and headed investigations on high-profile cases.

The four other NBI deputy directors are: Rickson Chiong (technical services), Reynaldo Esmeralda (intelligence service), Ruel Lasala (special investigation services), and Rafael Ragos (comptroller services).

Esmeralda said he will not resign, but that he is submitting himself for investigation.

He also asked for evidence linking any of the NBI deputy directors to the   leaking of information to Napoles of her arrest.

Mendez offered to resign on Monday, but De Lima rejected it.

De Lima said she had talked with Rojas to convince him to reconsider his decision to resign.

“I’ll be happy if I would be able to convince him, but I really don’t know what to do next,” she said.

The developments are affecting the NBI investigation on the pork barrel scam and has been causing demoralization, De Lima said.

A Catholic bishop said Aquino has a double standard in treating government officials.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines's National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace chairman, said Aquino reprimanded other agencies like the Bureau of Customs during his State of the Nation Address for failing to stop smuggling, yet  Commissioner Rufino Biazon remains in office.

Pabillo said: “There should be no double standards... His friends are not removed from their government posts but people like him (Rojas) can be eased out easily. It is they who have no delicadeza,” referring to Land Transportation Office director Viriginia Torres, Biazon or Aquino.   Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. is also being dragged into a controversy, and Aquino has failed to remove those involved, he added.

Pabillo said he is against the Malacañang plan to abolish the Philippine Forest Corp. “It is not right to abolish the agency because once it is abolished no one would be held accountable, you would no longer be able to ferret out the truth as to who is at fault... Someone must be made accountable,” he said.

At the Senate, Sen. Francis Escudero lauded Rojas for offering to resign. 

However, Rojas has no reason to resign because he apparently has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, he added.

Escudero said the irrevocable resignation that Rojas submitted to Aquino does not exist, especially in the case of public officials. – Edu Punay, Delon Porcalla, Evelyn Macairan, Marvin Sy,  Aie Balagtas See