In case of threats: NBI, IBP sign MOA to protect abogados, magistrates

National Bureau Investigation (NBI) Director Eric Distor and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) President Domingo Egon Cayosa have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) aimed at providing better protection to lawyers and magistrates.

“In an effort to protect the members of the legal profession and judiciary, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP),” read the NBI statement on Tuesday (Jine 29) which cited that the MOA was signed last the bureau stated.

The NBI said the MOA includes provisions that the bureau will give “timely assistance to lawyers, prosecutors and magistrates in distress and extend appropriate security and protection in cases of threats or hazards in the performance of their duties and functions as may be allowed by law and regulations.”

“The NBI will also expedite the investigation and give preferential attention to incidents or cases of violence against members of the legal profession and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable and that justice is swiftly done,” it said..

The NBI and IBP also established “direct lines of communication between their national and local leaders for faster coordination to pre-empt, avoid, or reduce violence against their members and to expedite and monitor the investigation, arrest and prosecution, punishment and reformation of the malefactors.”

“Both parties also agreed, to the extent allowed by their respective rules and policies and within the bounds of the law, the participants shall share data and information to promptly and effectively contain or adequately address threats to the life and security of their members,” the bureau said..

The IBP will also establish and manage “an appropriate incentive and reward fund to assist and encourage informants and witnesses for the successful investigation, arrest, and prosecution of suspects in the killing of or attack against lawyers, prosecutors, and magistrates.”

“The MOA further states that the IBP will advocate measures that intend to upgrade law enforcement capabilities, ensure the prompt resolution and disposition of criminal cases, and motivate the NBI officers and lawyers to work together in upholding the rule of law in the service of our country and its people,” the NBI said.

The IBP will also provide “legal assistance, through its legal aid program, to qualified NBI personnel who are unjustly harassed for doing their job and who do not have access to competent lawyers.”

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