Rama insists on choice for chief

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama is planning to go back to Manila to meet again with Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Allan Purisima and find out why Camp Crame officials designated Senior Superintendent Mariano Natu-el Jr. as permanent director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) even without his support.

Rama announced yesterday that he will have the matter evaluated by the city lawyers for possible filing of appropriate charges before the court, if evidence warrants, because the law clearly provides that it is the mayor who has the power to choose their police chief from the list of at least five recommendations submitted by the PNP.

The mayor further said that if the police hierarchy would insist that they will be the one to decide who will be designated as chief of police in Cebu City then he will ask Purisima to sign a document that in case there will be a breakdown of peace and order in the city they would be to blame and not the mayor.

Section 63 of Republic Act 8551 or the New Police Act of 1998 provides that one of the powers given to the mayors is the authority to choose the chief of police from a list of five eligible candidates recommended by the police director.

Rama narrated that when he visited Purisima in Camp Crame last week, the PNP chief told him to resubmit his request that Senior Superintendent Noli Romana is his choice to be designated as director of the Cebu City Police Office to head the 900-strong police force in the city.

At present, Romana is assigned in Negros Oriental.

"Akong i-submit pagbalik ang request nga dugay na nako nga gipadala sa Camp Crame ug mahimo 'sab tingali nga molarga ko sa Manila, (I will resubmit the request that I sent to Camp Crame a long time ago or I might also go to Manila.)" Rama told the reporters yesterday.

The mayor did not say whether he is planning to withdraw Cebu City's support to CCPO by pulling out the city's vehicles assigned to the police and the granting of fuel allocation to all police vehicles.

"Dili lang usa nato na hisgutan pagka karon basta kay wala ko malipay sa ilang gihimo nga wala tumana ang balaud, (Let's not talk about that for now but I am not happy that they violated the law." the mayor said.  (FREEMAN)