High-powered firearms allegedly kept by Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo Parojinog previously seized by policemen after a raid on a security agency office and an inn.
contributed photo
After 10 months of being on the loose, Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog has been arrested by authorities in Taiwan, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.
PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. John Bulalacao confirmed to reporters the arrest of Parojinog, the younger brother of slain Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. He was being hunted down for his alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade as well as other unlawful activities.
Bulalacao said councilor Parojinog tried to enter Taiwan using illegal immigration documents. His arrest came five days after the police raided his office and inn in Ozamiz City, where a cache of high-powered firearms and illegal drugs were recovered.
On Tuesday, a known Parojinog lawyer, former Ozamiz City prosecutor Geronimo Marave Jr., was assassinated.
In September last year, President Rodrigo Duterte offered a P5-million bounty for the arrest of the city councilor, who has been in hiding since the bloody raid that killed Mayor Parojinog, his wife Susan, and 14 others.
Parojinog would have to face charges in Taiwan before being deported to the Philippines, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.
Bulalacao said Philippine authorities have no hand in Parojinog’s arrest as Taiwanese authorities received a red notice from Interpol that the councilor was about to enter Taiwan using illegal documents.
“[It was] not initiated by the PNP, this was because of the red notice of the Interpol that he has no document when he went to that place that’s why the Taiwan government monitored his presence in the area,” Bulalacao said in a press briefing.
“True enough, nalaman na wala siyang documents [it was learned that he has no documents] when he entered Taiwan,” he added.
The spokesperson said there is no definite date yet when Parojinog would be deported from Taiwan as the deportation process would still take a while.
He said once Parojinog gets back to the country, he would be facing several cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Bulalacao said the PNP is investigating the report that Parojinog was aided by Taiwanese drug lords to flee the country.
“Isa rin sa dapat imbestigahan ng PNP ‘yon kung totoo yung report na yon pero sa ngayon wala pa kaming pinanghahawakang dokumento or ebidensya tungkol sa report na yan,” he said.
(That is one of the angles the PNP will need to investigate if that report is true. As of now, we do not have yet any documents or evidence to back it up).