EDITORIAL - Romana's tainted legacy

A report yesterday said Cebu City Police Office director Noli Romana has been transferred to a new post in Camp Crame. One of the seven police officials nationwide affected by a revamp, Romana will be assigned at the Civil Security Group of the Philippine National Police.

A document obtained by The Freeman, however, did not mention the reason behind Romana's new assignment. He has been calling the shots at the CCPO for one year and four months already.   

But the public has been left wondering why Romana's transfer has been kept secret by the PNP leadership. His superior, Regional Police Office-7 director Prudencio Banas, refused to comment on the matter, saying he has yet to obtain a copy of the order.

Even Romana's boss at the City Hall, Mayor Michael Rama, has been mum on his sudden reassignment. To recall, it was Rama who aggressively lobbied for his transfer to the city from Negros Oriental, believing that the police official has the capability to solve the city's worsening peace and order problem.

Was Romana's sudden reassignment a sign of promotion? Of course, many would find it a career advancement given the fact that he was transferred to the central headquarters closer to the PNP leadership.

But why the order should need to be kept a secret? Was there any problem with his leadership at the CCPO that merits his immediate reassignment? Did Camp Crame officials meet with the city leadership before implementing Romana's transfer?

With Romana now out of the CCPO, he also left many unsolved robberies rocking the city recently. While the city police have been scoring big lately against the illegal drug trade, they undeniably failed miserably in the effort to prevent robberies against business establishments in the city.

Well, this is not to conclude that Romana did not live up to Rama's expectations. It is really up to the mayor to assess whether he was satisfied with the performance of his favorite city policeman.     

But one thing is sure. Romana left the city police office with a tainted legacy as far as fighting crimes is concerned, a thing that seemed to have been confirmed by his unannounced exit.