‘Stop Parojinog group from regrouping in Cebu’

Alleged Ozamiz crime group members’ killings prompt PRO-7 chief’s order

Strengthen your intelligence gathering and monitoring in your areas of jurisdiction to identify, arrest and stop any member of the Parojinog group to operate in Cebu.”

Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, gave this order on Monday to police officers in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, and Cebu Province amid the recent killings of two men in Barangay Cubacub, Mandaue City, who were later identified as allegedly members of the Parojinog Group of Ozamiz City.

Sinas said that Parojinog group or also known as Kuratong Baleleng Group, is an organized crime group, which had been linked to cases of robbery, extortion and drug trafficking and had been based in Ozamiz City.

“Dili lang kay ang Mandaue City, pati na ang Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and the Cebu Province to check kung naa pay nahabilin nga laing Ozamiz boys. Kay kahibalo ta if naay Ozamiz boys ang modus ani gun for hire and drugs. Tandaan niyo hapit na ang election (Not only Mandaue City, but also Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Cebu Province, to check if there are other remnants of Parojinog Groups. Because we know that if there are Ozamiz boys their modus are gun-for-hire and drugs. Remember, the election is coming),” said Sinas.

Sinas said that the some members of the group might be regrouping in Cebu after they were aggressively pursued by police in their home-base of Ozamiz.

“Atong coordination with the intelligence community of Ozamiz City, suspetsa namo nga namalhin sila dinhi sa Cebu to establish their base,” said Sinas in a press conference on Monday.

Sinas said that since the group were being pursued in Ozamiz City, the members were looking for another place to regroup.

“Accordingly kusog ang pagpangita sa ilaha and si Chief Insp. Jove Espenido (the acting chief of Ozamis City), so nag dinaganay na ni sila and usa sa ilang gidaganan is ang Mandaue (The group is aggressively pursued by the police in Ozamiz led by Chief Insp. Jove Espenido, so they fled to other places to hide and regroup and one of the places they fled to is Mandaue),” said Sinas.

Sinas was referring to the two men, Renan Mabida, 35, and Mark Lester Castillo, 40, who were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Barangay Cubacub on Sunday.

The two men, who were temporarily residing in the barangay, were later identified as alleged members of the Parojinog group.

“We believe they still have other cohorts here in Cebu after they fled Ozamiz City during the neutralization of the Parojinog drug group,” said Senior Supt. Julian Entoma, Mandaue City Police Office chief, in an interview.

Police also learned that the victims have been staying in Mandaue last March of this year.

During Sunday’s attack, a bystander was also wounded after he was hit by a stray bullet. /with Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza