Officer-in-Charge Medardo De Lemos of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the new director of the agency.
Malacañang announced this on Monday, Aug. 1. De Lemos served as the NBI’s officer-in-charge in July.
Before his appointment, De Lemos was a longtime assistant director of the bureau, where he has served for the last 37 years.
“Director De Lemos rose from the ranks and his appointment as NBI Director is a strong indication of President Marcos’ commitment in strengthening the system of ‘meritocracy’ in the promotion, placement and hiring of government personnel,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a statement.
Being in NBI service is nothing new to De Lemos, having served as the bureau's most senior officer.
The NBI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is mandated to investigate or assist in the investigation of major crimes in the country.
READ: Sec. Remulla names De Lemos NBI OIC
A lawyer, De Lemos replaced Eric Distor, who was appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte last March.
He graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law in 1983 and from the NBI Academy in Tagaytay in 1985.
De Lemos obtained a Career Executive Service Officer Rank (CESO) in 2003.
He is also a regular lecturer at the Philippine Judicial Academy on the use of deadly force in the security training for judges.
Among De Lemos’ accomplishments in the NBI include crafting the bureau's Rules of Engagement, which defined the policy on the use of deadly force in its enforcement operations.
Other notable achievements of De Lemos is the dismantling of the notorious Alvin Flores robbery group in 2009 when he was still regional director of the NBI’s Central Visayas Regional Office.