Appointees from the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte have been accused of orchestrating the smear drive that pushed National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago to resign, according to an exclusive report by The Philippine STAR.
Citing NBI insiders, the report identified regional directors Gelacio Bongngat and retired general Paterno Morales as allegedly behind the black propaganda against Santiago. Both officials, appointed under Duterte’s term, were reassigned to different posts instead of regional directorships under Santiago’s leadership.
The sources claimed the campaign included an unsigned “white paper” criticizing Santiago’s performance and a nearly two-minute cartoon video mocking him. The attacks, they said, were intended to undermine his credibility and pressure him into stepping down.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, Santiago confirmed that his resignation has already been submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for acceptance. “I submitted my resignation and will wait for the action of the President. Out of respect, I will not abandon the NBI. While there is no appointee yet, I will continue to ensure that the boat sails smoothly,” he said.
Santiago admitted that the relentless attacks took a personal toll. “The smears against me are escalating. There are white papers, there are cartoon characters. Outsiders might believe these and lose trust in me,” he noted. He clarified that while the viral animation indeed used his voice, the clip was taken out of context. “Yes, that was my voice. But I was angry not at people, but at the failures in our operations.”
He also denied corruption allegations and insisted that Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla was aware the claims were baseless. “The supposed corruption issues thrown at me are all lies, and Secretary Remulla knows that,” Santiago stressed.
Despite stepping down, Santiago assured the public that the bureau’s work would continue uninterrupted. He urged agents to protect the agency’s credibility and warned his critics: “There is karma. It will come back to them.”
