Marcos appoints retired judge Jaime Santiago as NBI director

Marcos appoints retired judge Jaime Santiago as NBI director

President Marcos has appointed retired Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Jaime Santiago as the new director of the National Bureau of Investigation.

The 66-year-old Santiago took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday morning.

Santiago replaced Medardo de Lemos, a career official who retired from government service as NBI director.

He was first appointed as presiding judge of the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 12 in 2005 and was promoted as presiding judge of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 3 in 2011.

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Santiago also served as acting judge of courts in Tagaytay City and Taguig City. Before his career as a judge, he served as an assistant city prosecutor with the Department of Justice.

Before entering the judiciary, he was a policeman assigned to the then Manila Western Police District (WPD) from 1979 to 2000 as a sharpshooter of its Special Weapons and Tactics Team.

His life story was made into a movie in 1998, titled “SPO4 Santiago: Sharpshooter,” with then Cavite Vice Gov. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. portraying him.

Santiago earned his criminology degree at the Philippine College of Criminology (PCCr) and later studied law at Manuel L. Quezon University. He passed the Bar in 1994.

He later taught criminal law at the PCCr and the Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Santiago received several recognitions as a policeman, notably the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year award of the then WPD and an Act of Heroism award from the National Capital Region Police Office.

In 2009, he was recognized by the Philippine Jaycees as one of the 10 Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines. Three years later, in 2012, the Professional Regulation Commission named him an Outstanding Criminologist.