BACOLOD City – A ranking official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said agents handling complaints should also get the side of the accused, not just the complainant.

Atty. Vicente de Guzman, NBI Deputy Director for Investigation, said that as a matter of policy, investigating agents must summon the accused and get their side as part of the investigation.

“They should be located and investigated as well,” he said.

He added that the subject of the complaint should be informed that there is a complaint against them.

Several agents of the NBI regional office were criticized after they filed a case in court in behalf of lawyer Erfe del Castillo in connection with the alleged ambush against her and her fiancé in December 2018.

Earlier, lawyer Jomax Ortiz said he will file charges against agents from the NBI-6 regional office in connection with the del Castillo case.

Ortiz claimed that the actions of the said NBI agents were “questionable” as they filed the complaint before the Talisay Prosecutor’s Office without getting the side of the other party.

He also noted that instead of the NBI agents in Bacolod handling the case, “why was it that it was the NBI agents in Iloilo who took in the case despite the fact that the incident happened in Talisay, Negros occidental.”

Ortiz that he is also filing a P20-million case for malicious implication in the del Castillo ambush.

Implicating him in the ambush is baseless, Ortiz said.

Aside from Ortiz, the other respondents in the del Castillo case are Catherine Berioso-Cabuga alias Kate Brios, Shirley Berioso, Caselyn Berioso-Ortiz, Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, former Bacolod City Police Officer officer-in-charge; Supt. Richie Yatar, Senior Inspector Adrian Albaytar, SPO2 Joshua Barile, PO3 Ronald Ortiz, a journalist, John and Jane Does.