Saturday, February 03, 2007 Davao's top investigator By Rhodamae M. Hernandez
"WITH great power comes great responsibility."
Cebuano lawyer Romulo Manapsal, regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Southern Mindanao, quickly replied when asked to describe his job as Southern Mindanao's top investigator.
Manapsal was born on February 17 in Cebu City where he spent his elementary and high school days. While taking up Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Visayas, he worked at the same time as member of the Cebu City Police Department. He finished law school in 1977.
RD, as he is called, is married to Carmencita with four all-grown up offspring.
He joined the NBI as Agent 1 in 1979. Through hard work and religious dedication to his law enforcement career he rose from the ranks.
In 2001, he was appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as regional director II and was assigned in Western and Central Visayas and the cities of Cebu and Davao.
In May 24, 2004, he was appointed as regional director of the Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office based in Davao City.
As head of the premier investigation agency in the region, he introduced several improvements. He initiated the transfer of the NBI processing center outside NBI's regional office in Bajada. Those who want to acquire NBI clearances can now comfortably process their application at the 2nd floor of Victoria Plaza.
He also initiated the construction of the covered hall at the regional office and solved the mobility problem of the office in conducting investigations outside the city and in the whole region through the help of local government units.
In the later part of 2004, he had established the NBI district office in Tagum City to provide services in the province of Davao del Norte and neighboring municipalities.
Manapsal said his successful management of the regional office can be attributed to the support of the NBI central office through the leadership of Director Nestor Mantaring.
Though there is shortage of investigators to handle cases in the region, Manapsal said, he always sees to it that the cases are handled properly.
"Before the cases will be filed at the City Prosecutor's Office, I check them properly so that even here in our office, we will already see if there is probable cause," Manapsal told Sunstar Davao.
He said the complaints filed in their office will be acted upon by the investigators the soonest possible time and will be given corresponding points in the head office.
"Our investigators' performance will be evaluated through points given in each case filed. And the head office can change the corresponding points," Manapsal said.
Heading the NBI in the region was not that easy, he said. He has to monitor his investigators every now and then to see to it that they are performing well.
"If the head office will not be satisfied with points of the investigators, they can be charged administratively. They will have to explain what had happened," Manapsal added.
He said in every operation that will be conducted by the investigator of the case, close monitoring will always be needed to solve the case easily.
