Metro Manila, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has reassigned lawyer Jeremy Lotoc as regional director for Eastern Visayas from a Mindanao post, a move the agency said was part of a regular rotation and will also allow him to oversee the investigation on the recent school shooting in Tacloban City.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed Lotoc’s reassignment to NewsWatch Plus on Friday, Aug. 28.
“Yes. Rotation ‘yan. Saka he is familiar sa area ng Eastern Visayas para pursue Tacloban shooting,” Matibag said in a text message.
[Translation: Yes, it’s rotational. He is familiar in the Eastern Visayas area to be able to pursue the Tacloban shooting probe.]
Lotoc was former regional director in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Before that, he headed the bureau’s Cybercrime Division.
His new assignment was first disclosed in a Facebook post by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, who welcomed Lotoc during a courtesy call as the “newly assigned” NBI regional director for Eastern Visayas.
Romualdez said he discussed with Lotoc ways to strengthen peace and order in the region, including promoting responsible gun ownership following recent school shootings.
The mayor also said they talked about improving cybersecurity measures in government agencies and other initiatives aimed at maintaining public safety in Eastern Visayas.
Impeachment witness
Lotoc drew national attention after testifying as a prosecution witness in the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
He discussed the NBI investigation on Duterte’s Nov. 23, 2024 online briefing, where she allegedly made threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker Martin Romualdez.
