INITIAL findings showed that jailed former Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo ‘Ardot’ Parojinog died of cardiac arrest hours before he was to be escorted out of a local police jail to attend a hearing of criminal charges filed against him, officials said yesterday.
Amid an order of Philippine National Police chief, General Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan to conduct a thorough investigation into the death of the 57-year old Parojinog, Misamis Occidental Police Provincial Office director, Colonel Danildo Tumanda said it appears to be that there was no ‘foul play’ in the case.
Tumanda said a medical team from the Ozamiz City Health Office which initially examined the body of Parojinog said the patien died or cario-pulmonary arrest secondary to cardio-vascular disease.
The official said Parojinog was unconscious and was not responding to any call when found in his cell at the Ozamiz City Police Station around 6 a.m. Friday by a duty guard.
The guard immediately called the attention of his fellow officers who in turn called the assistance of the local health office which sent an ambulance and a medical team to the police station.
Parojinog, a resident of Bgy. Bagacay, was found dead hours after he was escorted to the city police station by members of the PNP Headquarters Support Service led by Lieutenant Col. Jigger Noceda prior to his scheduled court appearance.
Tumanda assured the public that they are conducting an impartial investigation into the case of Parojinog who is facing charges for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives and violation of the anti-pilferage law before an Ozamiz City Regional Trial Court.
PNP spokesman, Brigadier Gen. Bernard M. Banac said Cascolan has ordered Police Regional Office 10 director, Brig. Gen. Rolando B. Anduyan to immediately place the Ozamiz City police chief and all night-shift duty personnel under restrictive custody in order for them to be available for investigation.
The PNP chief likewise ordered the investigation of the PNP-HSS officers led by Noceda to determine their liabilities, said Banac.
The official said that a team from the PNP Crime Laboratory’s Scene-of-the-Crime Operations and the Misamis Occidental Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have joined the investigation into the incident.
