Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two jailed members of the Parojinog family, who have been tagged as drug lords by the Duterte administration.
Guevarra said he asked the NBI to include in its preliminary inquiry the reported death of Melodia "Apyat" Parojinog Malingin, just two days after her brother, former Ozamiz City councilor Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog, was found dead in his detention cell last week.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will likewise conduct an independent investigation into the deaths of the Parojinog siblings while under police custody, spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said Monday.
Ardot Parojinog was found dead inside his detention cell last Friday ahead of a court hearing for a string of charges, while Parojinog-Malingin also died under detention over the weekend.
Both were siblings of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo “Aldong” Parojinog, who was killed along with 15 other people in a 2017 police raid.
Guevarra earlier admitted that NBI OIC-director Eric Distor has ordered his operatives to do some initial fact-checking on the state of Parojinog's health before he was found dead.
"The NBI will find out if Parojinog had already been sick before he was transferred, and what his condition was upon actual arrival in Ozamiz," Guevarra said.
According to Guevarra, the inquiry on Malingin's death will also involve an inquiry into the state of her health before she died.
Police authorities said they are determining if Parojinog had any prior illness before he was found dead in his cell at the Ozamiz City Police Station Friday morning, with no sign of violence on his body.
Police Regional Office 10 chief Brigadier General Rolando Anduyan said Parojinog died of a heart attack. He had also been tested for COVID-19.
Malingin, Parojinog's sister, reportedly died at the hospital on Sunday morning.
Reynaldo's son, Reynaldo Jr., was convicted of illegal possession of drugs in 2019. Reynaldo Jr.'s sister, Nova Princess, faces charges for illegal possession of firearms and dangerous drugs.
“Regardless of the presumed cause, death under custody necessitates an independent investigation. This helps prevent similar incidents from happening while ensuring the security of other prisoners,” De Guia said in a statement.
“In light of the manner of death of other members of the Parojinog clan that precede these two new cases, an impartial investigation is expedient to conclusively determine the cause of death,” she added.
De Guia said that an independent probe will help dispel concerns over the possible foul play or inadequate care and ill treatment of persons deprived of liberty.
“Given these incidents and other previous reports of deaths in detention, we remind the government and concerned agencies of their obligation to protect the rights and dignity of detainees… For our part, we shall conduct an independent probe for the just resolution of these deaths,” she said.
