FIRING LINE: De Lemos does a Pilate

By Robert B. Roque, Jr.

The overstaying director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has washed his hands clean before the public, stating that he was not around when nearly naked women were made to dance to entertain officials of his bureau recently.

The incident, which happened during the social gathering of regional and national officers who had just wrapped up their official meeting in Manila, was captured on video, which has since become viral on social media.

I’d have to admit I was among the first to have received that video clip from a source and was supposed to write it up for last Thursday’s Firing Line. But social media, I concede, moved faster than I could.

Meanwhile, NBI Director Medardo de Lemos said if he had been there, he would have most probably stopped the show. I would like to say I believe him, but I’d be lying. The truth is, it sounds like what Pilate would say.

His bosses in the Department of Justice (DOJ) might have a better opinion of him and believe his claim that he’s straight as an arrow, or straight as a dance pole at a club, for that matter.

DOJ’s frozen ax

Suppose the DOJ chief had been more in control of his turf. In that case, things like this and half a dozen or so publicized boo-boos of the NBI — from the red flags raised by Dr. Raquel Fortun on the autopsy done of Jun Villamor’s body to handling the Gov. Degamo slay suspects to detainee-at-large Jad Dera, among others — would not have happened.

Now that it has come to this sleazy episode involving the top honchos of the bureau at a classy hotel of impeccable repute, a self-respecting DOJ secretary should take his ax and come out swinging. First on his list of heads to roll should be the NBI director himself.

But how can Secretary Boying Remulla do that if he was the one who had De Lemos’s appointment extended in the first place? He’s got a frozen ax.

NBI intel fund: Where’s the money?

Despite an ample P175-million annual intelligence fund, it appears that the NBI’s 17 regional directors are left scrounging for a mere P20K monthly, hardly enough for operational expenses. Consequently, they seek external sources to keep their operations afloat.

So, where does the money truly flow? That’s a question senior NBI officers are asking, and they’re becoming unsettled with this leadership style.

Could it be lining the pockets of those in power, prolonging De Lemos’s tenure? Such a financial enigma within our esteemed intelligence agency leaves us puzzled, while our dedicated agents are left desperate for adequate resources.

This mystery remains unsolved, highlighting a disconcerting state of affairs. The NBI’s “clandestine operations” and lackluster performance raise eyebrows and demand scrutiny. Many senior agents, I heard, are not happy.

The naughty son

 Following YouTube’s June 21 and TikTok’s July takedowns of Apollo Quiboloy’s accounts on the platforms, the latest is that YouTube terminated his SMNI News and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) channels last Friday.

It took US sanctions on Quiboloy, being on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, for these social media platforms to end his means of whitewashing his dirty linen in public. Well, the self-proclaimed “appointed son of God” seemed to have been punished for being a naughty, naughty boy.

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