MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Medardo de Lemos to lead the agency, Malacañang said Monday.

"Director De Lemos rose from the ranks and his appointment as NBI director is a strong indication of President Marcos’ commitment in strengthening the system of ‘meritocracy’ in the promotion, placement and hiring of government personnel," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a statement.

De Lemos in July was designated as officer-in-charge of NBI, replacing Eric Distor, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte last March.

Having served the NBI for 37 years, De Lemos is the agency's most senior officer, according to the Palace.

He graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1983 and from the NBI Academy in Tagaytay in 1985. De Lemos obtained a Career Executive Service Officer rank in 2003.

Angeles said Lemos’ accomplishments as an NBI official included the crafting of the bureau's Rules of Engagement, which defined the policy on the use of deadly force in its enforcement operations.

He is also regular lecturer at the Philippine Judicial Academy on the use of deadly force in the security training for judges.

Angeles added that De Lemos' biggest accomplishment in the bureau was the bust of the notorious Alvin Flores robbery group in 2009 when he was still regional director of the NBI’s Central Visayas regional office.

The newly-appointed NBI director was also designated as the agency’s OIC in 2013 under then-Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. This was after former NBI chief Nonnatus Rojas resigned in September 2013.

The NBI, an attached agency of the DOJ, is mandated to investigate or assist in the investigation of major crimes in the country.

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