PHILIPPINE National Police Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. on Monday officially installed Brigadier Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. as the new director of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Caramat replaced his “mistah” from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992, Brig. Gen. Ronald O. Lee as PNP-CIDG director.

After serving as PNP-CIDG director over the past five months, Lee will be the new PNP Deputy Director for Intelligence, the erstwhile position of Caramat.

The new PNP-CIDG director is currently grieving the untimely death of his wife, Calasiao, Pangasinan Mayor Mamilyn “Maya” Caramat, who passed away early morning Sunday due to a stroke at the age of 53.

Caramat is a “tough officer” who previously commanded the Bulacan Police Provincial Office (PPO), the PNP Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF), which is now known as the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (DEG).

He became a “nemesis” of drug dealers in Bulacan and an enemy of “rogues in uniform” during his stint as PNP-CITF chief, wherein he led his men in arresting a number of commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers.

At the PNP-DEG, he made history for having busted the biggest drug syndicate in the country with the largest shabu haul scored by the police force during the time of former PNP chief, now retired Gen. Archie Francisco F. Gamboa.

He went on to become the Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 director in the Caraga region for two years before joining the PNP-DI.

Caramat said he will be pursuing the programs of Lee and warned his men not to be involved in any irregularities, specifically illegal drugs, or they will face the consequence of their offenses.

‘Support for Lee snowballs’

The relief of Lee came in the aftermath of the release of a letter-appeal signed by senior PNP officials calling on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to approve the promotion to the next higher rank of Lee and Colonel Benjamin DL Defensor.

Dozens of 3-star, 2-star, and 1-star police generals signed the letter saying that the Senior Officers’ Placement and Promotion Board had already deliberated and passed two separate resolutions recommending the promotion of Lee and Sembrano, the current Executive Officer of the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management to the next higher rank after they passed all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications.

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) has also approved the promotion of the two, the recommendation also endorsed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The two only have one thing in common: they were both assigned in the Cordillera where Lee used to be the Regional Director while Sembrano is the Deputy Regional Director for Operations.

Azurin said that inasmuch “as we wanted to wait for the promotion of Brig. Gen. Lee bago siya nalipat, but we have to abide by the discretion of higher authorities. I told Ronald we will try to line you up sa next transition. We hope he will be given another 2-star position,” the PNP chief said.

The top cop described Lee “as a very good officer, very professional, but we have to move. Kung ano ang sabi ng taas, sunod lang tayo,” he said.