New accurate and homogeneous optical UBVRI photometry has been obtained for variable stars in the Galactic globular \omega Cen ( NGC 5139 ) .
We secured 8202 CCD images covering a time interval of 24 years and a sky area of 84 \times 48 arcmin .
The current data were complemented with data available in the literature and provided new , homogeneous pulsation parameters ( mean magnitudes , luminosity amplitudes , periods ) for 187 candidate \omega Cen RR Lyrae ( RRLs ) .
Among them we have 101 RRc ( first overtone ) , 85 RRab ( fundamental ) and a single candidate RRd ( double-mode ) variables .
Candidate Blazhko RRLs show periods and colors that are intermediate between RRc and RRab variables , suggesting that they are transitional objects .
The comparison of the period distribution and of the Bailey diagram indicates that RRLs in \omega Cen show a long-period tail not present in typical Oosterhoff II ( OoII ) globulars .
The RRLs in dwarf spheroidals and in ultra faint dwarfs have properties between Oosterhoff intermediate and OoII clusters .
Metallicity plays a key role in shaping the above evidence .
These findings do not support the hypothesis that \omega Cen is the core remnant of a spoiled dwarf galaxy .
Using optical Period-Wesenheit relations that are reddening-free and minimally dependent on metallicity we find a mean distance to \omega Cen of 13.71 \pm 0.08 \pm 0.01 mag ( semi-empirical and theoretical calibrations ) .
Finally , we invert the I -band Period-Luminosity-Metallicity relation to estimate individual RRLs metal abundances .
The metallicity distribution agrees quite well with spectroscopic and photometric metallicity estimates available in the literature .