Lawmaker challenges NBI on zero funding for overseas attachés

MANILA — FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List Rep. Brian Poe questioned the National Bureau of Investigation's operational capacity overseas on Monday, pointing to the absence of dedicated funding for attachés and agents working in foreign posts. Poe's concerns centered on the NBI's ability to address the growing number of transnational criminal cases involving Filipinos, which he said required adequate financial support and personnel deployment across international borders. The congressman cited Republic Act No. 10687, specifically Section 7(F), in his examination of the bureau's budgetary constraints. Poe called for strengthened governmental support for the NBI, arguing that the agency's international presence and resources should be proportionate to the scale of cross-border crimes requiring investigation. The lawmaker's remarks underscore ongoing challenges facing Philippine law enforcement agencies in tackling organized crime and criminal activities that extend beyond national jurisdiction.