Parojinog family claims obtaining CCTV footage showing cops 'planting' evidence

The Parojinog family has claimed they have obtained CCTV camera footage that would prove that the pieces of evidence allegedly recovered by policemen inside the house of Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog-Echavez were planted.

Parts of the CCTV footage was shown in a report by Rida Reyes on Balitanghali on Saturday.

The video showed a policeman wiping a long firearm with a white cloth.

Another part of the CCTV footage, meanwhile, showed two policemen talking. One policeman was seen handing over a short firearm to the other policeman.

Reyes reported that according to the Parojinog family, these two firearms were among those supposedly recovered by the policemen from the house of the vice mayor.

Informed of the CCTV camera footage, Reyes reported that Ozamiz City police's Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido had insisted that the pieces of evidence seized from the houses of the Parojinogs were not planted.

The Parojinog family said they will use the CCTV camera footage as evidence against the police raiding teams, composed of members of the Ozamiz City Police Station and the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

A lawyer of the vice mayor, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, also said on Friday that they will use as evidence a video taken by the daughter of the vice mayor.

Aside from firearms, the police said drugs and a huge amount of cash were seized from the vice mayor's house.

The vice mayor is detained along with her brother, Reynaldo Parojinog Jr., at the Philippine National Police's Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

Police have filed against the siblings complaints for violation of Section 11 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act (possession of dangerous drugs) and Section 21 of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (acquisition or purchase and sale of firearms and ammunition).

They were also charged with violation of Section 3-A of Republic Act 9516 or "unlawful manufacture, sales, acquisition, disposition, importation or possession of a part, ingredient, machinery, tool or instrument used or intended to be used for the manufacture, construction, assembly, delivery or detonation."

The siblings' parents, Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and Susan Parojinog, and 13 others were killed in a separate raid in Ozamiz before dawn Sunday.

Espenido had admitted that CCTV cameras at the house of the mayor were "paralyzed" during the raid to protect the identities of their confidential agents. —ALG, GMA News