NBI-7 Director Dominador Cimafranca with Agent 3 Maria Contessa Lastimoso during a press briefing on Tuesday, June 30. (Calvin D. Cordova)
CEBU CITY – Maintaining schools as “peace zones” is the first marching order of the new chief of National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI-7).
Atty. Dominador Cimafranca on Monday, June 29, took over as NBI-7 chief, replacing Atty. Jose Ermie Monsanto.
Monsanto was named NBI-7 director just last Jan. 27.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, June 30, Cimafranca said that under his watch, NBI-7 will closely coordinate with local academic institutions to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
Starting July, the NBI-7 will conduct information drives in schools.
Cimafranca said the information drive will tackle cybersecurity to educate students on protecting personal data, identifying online scams, and recognizing phishing attempts.
Netiquette will also be discussed to promote respectful digital communication, prevent cyberbullying, and how to handle online harassment, Cimafranca said.
Also, the information drive while also tackle physical security, which involves best practices for campus safety, emergency preparedness, and access control.
Cimafranca said for a seamless rollout of the information campaign, the NBI-7 will coordinate with local school boards and stakeholders across Cebu.
He added that NBI-7’s investigative focus will also include public corruption cases, agricultural smuggling, dangerous drugs, cybercrime, vape regulation violations, intellectual property violations, organized crime, white collar crimes, and crimes involving national security.
“We will pursue these investigations with transparency, professionalism, and dedication. Our office will strengthen inter-agency coordination and information sharing with partner agencies and the community,” said Cimafranca, a native of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.