PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has confirmed the appointment of Medardo de Lemos as director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said on Monday, August 1, 2022.De Lemos has been with the NBI for 37 years and is the bureau’s most senior officer.He was earlier assigned as the NBI officer-in-charge by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla last month.“Director De Lemos rose from the ranks and his appointment as NBI director is a strong indication of President Marcos’ commitment in strengthening the system of ‘meritocracy’ in the promotion, placement and hiring of government personnel,” Angeles said.De Lemos graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law in 1983 and from the NBI Academy in Tagaytay in 1985.In 2003, he obtained a Career Executive Service Officer Rank (Ceso).Angeles said De Lemos took part in crafting of the NBI’s Rules of Engagement, which defined the policy on the use of deadly force in its enforcement operations.He is also a regular lecturer at the Philippine Judicial Academy on the use of deadly force in the security training for judges.Among his biggest operational accomplishments was the arrest of the notorious Alvin Flores robbery group in 2009 when he was still regional director of the NBI’s Central Visayas Regional Office. (SunStar Philippines)