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A Few months ago, The National Bureau of Investigation was in the spotlight.


One NBI Confidential Agent was involved in the kidnap-slay of a  Korean businessman.


Some reports initially mentioned that an NBI Agent was the mastermind in the kidnap and slaying of the Korean businessman.


The Bureau denied that non of its agent nor special investigators were involved in that incident.


The bureau said that the one involved in that particular crime is a mere confidential or contractual agent and not a special agent nor a special investigator.


If a contractual agent or confidential agent is not actually a member of the NBI or not organic personnel as the NBI termed it, then what is an NBI Confidential agent?


The NBI was correct when it said that a confidential agent is not an organic personnel of the NBI.


An organic members of the bureau are the ones who receive a regular monthly salary as mandated by the salary standardization law and that are covered by the principle of security of tenure in public
office.


An NBI Confidential agent is not an organic member of the bureau because he does not receive a regular salary from the government and is not entitled to security of tenure.


Take note that under Republic Act No.10867 or the law reorganizing and modernizing the NBI, the position of NBI Confidential Agent does not exist.


The law says that the NBI director may hire NBI Consultants and designate NBI Informants for investigative purposes.


These persons may be issued mission orders and permit to carry duly licensed firearms outside residence assisting the bureau in its
 

A Mission Order by the way is an authority from a government agency to carry a firearm in pursuance of a specific mission or task on behalf of the agency.


This authority is usually derived from the law or organic Act creating the agency. Mission Orders are usually issued to agents or employees of the specific agency.


These NBI Informants or commonly called NBI Confidential Agents are appointed by the NBI Director.


At present, the appointment of these so-called confidential agents was suspended by the DOJ Secretary.


These Confidential Agents are mostly professionals and businessmen recruited by NBI agents to act as informants.


They are issued badges similar to those issued to regular agents.


But unlike the NBI Special Agents and NBI Special Investigators, these informants/confidential agents undertake a few days of basic intelligence-gathering training.


A Fact Finding report found out that the number of confidential agents has so ballooned that it has now outnumbered the existing NBI personnel complement of the NBI.


The National Bureau of Investigations is under the Department of Justice in the same way that the Philippine National Police is under the Department of the Interior and Local Government.