MANILA, Philippines — Tough and clean.

These are among the qualifications that President Benigno S. Aquino III is looking for in the next chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), according to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

“Ang utos kay Secretary (Leila de Lima ay maghanap ng isang NBI chief na tough and clean (The President’s directive to Secretary De Lima is to look for an NBI chief who is tough and clean),” Lacierda said.

“Obviously, the clean part, everybody knows why. Tough because it’s an organization . . . you have to gain the respect of the people within and out of the organization,” he said.

Lacierda said the President has tasked De Lima to vet the next NBI to replace Magtanggol Gatdula.

He said the President has no preference on whether the next NBI director will come from within or outside the organization.

Meanwhile, De Lima expects to have major reshuffle at the NBI once President Aquino has chosen the replacement for Gatdula, who was dismissed after he and his several of his subordinates, were implicated in the P6 million kidnapping and extortion of undocumented Japanese Noriyo Ohara.

The Department of Justice is now preparing the shortlist of possible replacements for Gatdula, according to De Lima.

The looming reshuffle was also prompted by reports she received that other NBI agents and officials are involved in other illegal operations, according to De Lima.

"Although these reports have not yet been verified and still being validated, I guess reshuffling of NBI is the best move that we could do to stop such illegal operations within the bureau," she said.

In a related development, retired Maj. Gen. Ramon Montano of the now defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) came to the defense of Gatdula, saying the fired NBI director was incorruptible.

Montano said the DoJ should conduct a deeper investigation into Gatdula's alleged involvement in the Ohara case since he had known the latter as one of the "incorruptible and dedicated" officers of the Constabulary.