MANILA, Philippines – It was a booming family narcotics business wherein competitors were easily silenced and protection money continued to flow from businessmen, according to two individuals — a former aide and an ex-political rival – who said they knew the Parojinogs’ alleged criminal activities.
A person who claimed to be a former henchman of the Parojinogs has detailed the supposed roles of the members of the family in their alleged illegal drug trading in Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental.
According to the family’s ex-aide, not a day passed in the city without a drug-related killing allegedly instigated by Mayor Reynaldo “Aldong” Parojinog Sr., who was among the 16 people killed during the July 30 raids on the residences of the family in Ozamiz.
The mayor’s wife, Susan Parojinog, was allegedly in-charge of the sale of illegal drugs in the city.
“Siya talaga ang may hawak ng droga [It was really her who handled the illegal drug trading],” the former henchman recalled.
The mayor’s daughter, Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog, was allegedly the one supervising the delivery and collection of money from narcotics.
The drug money allegedly came from Manila, collected by the siblings’ children, and then turned over to Nova, the ex-aide said.
The mayor’s brother, Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog, had allegedly commanded the armed group of the family and was said to have financed a bank robbery in Manila, which earned him between P40 million and P60 million, according to the former henchman.
The ex-aide also claimed that the family was able to monopolize the drug business in some areas after they allegedly had their competitors killed.
“Titirahin nila ‘yan. Papatayin nila dahil ayaw ng mga kumpetensya [They would target the competitors. They would kill them because they didn’t want competitors],” he said.
Protection money from businessmen
The killings were confirmed by the family’s political rival, Pastor Nathaniel Dinuro Jr., who claimed spending four years in hiding after the Parojinogs allegedly threatened his life after he uncovered the illegal activities of the family.
“Ang mga kalaban ni Mayor Parojinog nawawala dito because pinapatay. In broad daylight they are doing it [Mayor Parojinog’s rivals disappeared here because they were being killed even in broad daylight],” Dinuro said.
Besides illegal drug trading, Dinuro said the Parojinog family also allegedly extorted protection money from Ozamis businessmen.
“Ang mga negosyante dito talagang naghihirap sila. Hindi lang makapagsalita. Ang nangyari kasi itong mga negosyante kinokotongan sila [The businessmen here were having a hard time. They could not talk. What happened here was that they were being extorted],” he said
“Wala silang magawa, mag-bigay ka na lang. O may mangyari sa ‘yo [They couldn’t do anything, so they just gave money or else something might happen to them],” he added.
According to the family’s former aide, the mayor thought of ending the the family’s drug dealings when President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office. But the mayor’s plan did not push through because his wife Susan allegedly didn’t like it.
Just a ploy
The ex-henchman also claimed that the mayor’s seemingly heroic campaign against narcotics in line with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs was just a ploy to hide his own involvement in the illegal activity.
“‘Yong mga taong magsabi na parang bayani si Aldong, si mayor para silang linta doon sila nabuhay [Those people who said Mayor Aldong was like a hero were like leeches and that’s how they earned a living],” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ozamis local police have already located the alleged mass grave of the Parojinog.
According to Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, the victims were killed in the said area then dropped into the hole of a mass grave.
The police will use the testimonies of those who personally know the Parojinogs and the pieces of evidence that they would recover from the mass grave to strengthen the cases they are building up against the surviving members of the Parojinog family, according to Espenido.
Click and watch this video report below:
