SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) – Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” R. Marcos led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the Ilocos Region located along Sevilla village here on July 11.
The national government has earmarked P80 million for the construction of the NBI’s new facility, which consists of six floors.
It has a floor area of about 1,363.54 square meters.
It will have a parking area with slots for persons with disabilities, an elevator, a clearance area, a digital forensic lab, an investigation office, a medico legal office, an intel services office, and agent’s quarters.
More than the building, Marcos underscored that the NBI should have modern equipment so the agency is not left behind by its counterparts from other countries.
“It is really important that we keep up with the times, live up to their expectations, and make certain that all our agents and employees are in fact digitally literate and capable,” Marcos explained.
NBI Region 1 Regional Director Ferdinand Lavin stressed that the building will equip them with the tools and infrastructure needed to stay ahead of evolving digital threats.
“This soon-to-rise modernized building will be able to acquire the methodologies that come with technologies that equip our agents in a rapidly changing law enforcement landscape,” he said.
The existing NBI office was constructed in 1976 during the presidency of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., which served the agency and its purpose for the last 48 years.
Once constructed, the building will also aid the agency to capacitate itself for capacity building, where the workforce will equip their agents and investigators with knowledge and skills of the latest trends in criminal investigations.
“This helps the NBI to have improved facilities and working environments for our agents, to feel safe and better serve the public, and for them to have better opportunities in securing their clearances and our forensic services,” Lavin said.
The project’s funding came from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration’s Build Better More initiative, which is administered by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The facility is expected to be completed in 2025.
Aside from Senator Marcos, also present during the ceremony were DPWH Region 1 Regional Director Ronnel Tan, NBI Director Judge Jaime Santiago, and DPWH Region 1 Assistant Regional Director Mathias Malenab. (AMB/KJCR, PIA La Union)
