OZAMIZ City Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog-Echavez is asking for an investigation into the simultaneous raids that killed her father, Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., her mother Susan, uncle Misamis Occidental Board Member Octavio Parojinog Jr., aunt Mona Parojinog as well as 11 others before dawn Sunday, July 30.
Parojinog-Echavez accused the police of taking away her computer’s hard disk which contained files of scenes captured by a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) installed inside and outside her house in Barangay San Roque.
Parojinog-Echavez and her brother Reynaldo Jr. were arrested by police and brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters under heavy guard by PNP-Criminal Investigation and Protection Group (PNP-CIDG) around 6:45 a.m. Monday, July 31, in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
She said scenes of policemen allegedly carrying out questionable actions while in the process of serving the search warrant issued by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court were captured by the supposedly now missing CCTV files.
“If there were no irregularities, why should they take the hard disk?” Parojinog-Echavez said.
But PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, speaking to reporters Monday, July 31, in Manila, said it was wrong for police operatives to "paralyze" the CCTV cameras during the raid at the compound of Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. early Sunday morning.
"Kung tinatanong mo ako kung tama ba 'yun, hindi tama. Kaya nga invite ka sa pag-serve mo ng search warrant invite ka taga media, invite ka barangay officials para transparent. Yung CCTV that forms part of transparency, bakit kailangang tanggalin (If you ask me if that’s right, no it’s not. That’s why you invited media and barangay officials in your search warrant so it would be transparent. Why do you need to remove the CCTV that forms part of transparency?)," Dela Rosa said.
"(But) I leave it to them on the ground how to do their job. That's their consideration," he added.
Parojinog-Echavez is also accusing the police of planting evidence.
An initial police inventory listed an M-16 rifle, a grenade, and about 500 grams of suspected crystal meth (shabu) as among the items allegedly recovered from her house.
The siblings were immediately brought to PNP custodial center for booking procedure.
"Kung possible na malipat ang pagdinig dito na lang to save cost. Very expensive kapag doon at 'yung security nila (If possible, we can transfer the hearing to save cost. It’s expensive if it’s in Ozamiz and we are thinking about their security)," he said.
PNP-CIDG director Roel Obusan said the two were transferred in Camp Crame since the Regional Trial Court (RTC) that issued the search warrants at the family's residence is based in Quezon City.
Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., his wife Susan and 13 others were killed after they allegedly engaged the authorities who were serving six search warrants on July 30.
The warrants were issued to search for firearms in the houses of Reynaldo Sr., daughter Nova Princess, son Reynaldo Jr., and brother Ricardo.
The farm houses of Reynaldo and Ricardo were also the subject of search warrants.
Lawrence Carin, counsel of the Parojinog siblings, questioned the legal basis for the transfer noting that the alleged crime was committed in Ozamiz City and that the Quezon City RTC has yet to issue a commitment order against the arrested persons.
Carin also said he was worried about his clients' safety after he was barred by authorities from entering the PNP custodial center, which serves as temporary detention cell of the Parojinog siblings.
But a Malacañang official said Monday that the government sees nothing irregular in the bloody raids despite the deaths of 15 people.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said there was no need to create an independent body that would investigate the deaths of Parojinog and other suspected drug personalities because such mishaps are "bound to happen."
Guevarra said the government presumes "regularity" on the illegal drug raids since no one has been claiming "improper" serving of search warrants against the individuals suspected to be involved in the rampant narcotics trade.
"That is bound to happen in incidents like this when you know, rage results in deaths and some people would claim that there's some [irregularities]… There's a presumption of regularity in all of this. If there's anyone who will complain that something irregular happened, then, an investigation will have to be done. For now, we presume regularity," Guevarra said.
"This usually happens. The normal procedures and investigative procedures will have to be observed if there's any claim of some improper implementation of the search warrant. So we don’t find any need to create any ad hoc or task force to investigate these matters because the structures are in place," he added.
Parojinog was among the government officials included in President Rodrigo Duterte's roster, which contained the names of purported drug personalities and released last year. The slain mayor has also been linked to the notorious Kuratong Baleleng Robbery Group allegedly founded by his father Octavio Sr.
Meanwhile, people at the Ozamiz City Hall are in a somber mood a day after the death of the city mayor.
With no mayor and vice mayor, employees skipped the regular flag-raising rites and instead flew the Philippine flag at half-staff.
The bodies of Parojinog Sr., his wife Susan and younger brother Octavio Jr. were subjected to autopsy early morning Monday at the Gamalinda Funeral Homes.
The remains are set to be transferred to a public square in Barangay San Roque, near the Parojinog house, for public viewing.
Their wake is set to be transferred at City Hall two days prior to a scheduled internment.
No date has been set for the burial. (With a report from SunStar Philippines)