(UPDATE) NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago has resigned from his post, citing an “orchestrated move to blacken” his reputation.
In a text message, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed that Santiago filed his resignation but did not disclose other details.
Castro also said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to accept Santiago’s resignation.
“He (Santiago) submitted his resignation,” Castro said when asked about Santiago’s resignation. “There is no comment from the President as of now.”
In his letter addressed to the President dated Aug. 15, 2025, Santiago said he was tendering his “irrevocable resignation” effective immediately upon the appointment of his replacement.
He highlighted the agency’s anti-corruption drive under his watch, noting the relief of a special task force over irregularities and the arrests of a Pampanga mayor and a former Albay councilor on extortion charges.
“Detractors and those who have a sinister interest in my position incessantly make moves to blemish my reputation,” Santiago said.
“I cannot allow this seemingly orchestrated move to blacken my reputation, which I have built through the years,” he added.
Santiago said the alleged smear campaign began after he filed his courtesy resignation following Marcos’ directive to re-calibrate his Cabinet after the 2025 midterm elections.
Santiago did not name those behind the supposed effort to tarnish his reputation, nor did he offer further details.
Santiago said he would leave his post immediately upon the appointment of his replacement so as not to disrupt agency operations.
A retired judge, Santiago assumed office as NBI chief on June 14, 2024. He served as a prosecutor from 2003 to 2006 before becoming a presiding judge of a regional trial court in Manila.
The NBI, an attached agency of the Department of Justice, is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of high-profile criminal cases and has been involved in several anti-corruption operations in recent months.
Santiago on Saturday denied allegations linking him to illegal collections inside the bureau as he confirmed his resignation.
He called claims that a certain Paul Riguera was his bagman, who collected protection money on his behalf, “dirty” and “malicious.”
He added, “I can face all of you, you the media, my officers here at the NBI. I can look you eye to eye. I don’t have a collection. I don’t have a quota. You, you know who has a quota. But I was never involved in that. That’s why I’m getting hurt.”
The allegations stemmed from online reports earlier in July linking a certain “Paul Tangkad” or Paul Riguera to illegal e-sabong operations despite President Marcos’ Executive Order 9 banning online cockfighting.
These reports claimed Riguera was posing as a member of an NBI special task group and allegedly using Santiago’s name to collect protection money from operators of illegal gambling and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
The supposed scheme, widely shared on social media, alleged that Santiago tolerated Riguera’s activities as his “bagman,” an accusation the NBI chief rejected.
The controversy also resurfaced amid heightened scrutiny of illegal e-sabong, which had previously been linked to the unresolved disappearance of 34 cockfighting enthusiasts.
