OZAMIZ CITY--Mayor Reynaldo
"Aldong" O. Parojinog Sr. and his wife first lady Susan Parojinog
have died as a result of a series of raids conducted by police authorities in
San Roque or Lawis, this city, yesterday, July 30, 2017 at about 2:30 a.m.
The raiding team was composed of members
of the Philippine National Police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection
Group (CIDG) who are serving six search warrants against the mayor’s family for
alleged drugs and firearms.
A police report sourced by
Philippine Preview said the Mayor’s group showed violent resistance and fired at
the authorities prompting PNP personnel to fire back.
Radio station dxDD-AM said a total
of seven persons were killed including the mayor, wife Susan; younger brother Octavio
Jr., who is an incumbent board member of the second district of this province,
three CVO members named Miguel del Victoria, Nestor Cabalan, and Daniel D.
Vasquez. Two other persons identified by police as a certain Lydia and JR of
Lumad TV, were likewise killed.
A PNP update said 12 others were killed in the raid
and a policeman was also wounded in an explosion in one of the locations but is
presently out of danger, the PNP said.
A Facebook page attributed to
Ozamiz City said the mayor died from shrapnels of a hand grenade accidentally
thrown by the mayor's security.
The said page mentioned City Police
Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido giving a “24-hr ultimatum to HVT's to surrender
illegal drugs and loose firearms, especially to some Barangay Captains in the
city allegedly keeping the said items.”
The raiding team confirmed having confiscated
in the Mayor's house M79 rifles, bundled cash and suspected shabu weighing one
kilogram.
Espenido added the warrants served
are for the illegal possession of firearms, where an M16 rifle, two hand
grenades, and a .45 pistol were found inside the mayor’s house but incidentally
illegal drugs were also discovered.
He added another half-kilo was
found in a house Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog Echavez was staying separately
that time along with several firearms.
Police also raided former Board
Member and current City Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog's House in Bagakay which
resulted to the confiscation of 1 Shotgun, 3 Rocket Propelled Grenade
Launchers, 2 Hand grenades, 8 M79 bullets and an M79 riffle, shabu
paraphernalia aluminum foils, sealers, lighter, and metamphetamine crystals, information
from the PNP told Philippine Preview, leading to the arrest of five men.
Echavez was quoted by a television
report accusing the police of planting the drugs and firearms before the CIDG
operatives arrived to serve the warrant.
The Parojinogs were among those
named by President Rodrigo Duterte as the personalities allegedly linked to
illegal drugs trade.
Television reports aired also
showed Echavez asking authorities to move her to the NBI detention facility in
Manila, for fear that she may be assassinated in Ozamiz City by people bent on
wiping out the Parojinogs.
The PNP has warned all civilians not
to flock on the raided areas to avoid hampering the investigation. (MICHAEL
MEDINA)