Photos, video show gruesome aftermath of Parojinog raid

Photos and video obtained by GMA News showed the bloody aftermath of the police search at the homes of the influential Parojinog family in Ozamiz City that led to the death of 16 people.

Never-before-seen footage aired on "24 Oras" on Thursday showed Vice Mayor Princess Nova Parojinog-Eschavez cursing in anger at Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) personnel who escorted her from her house.

Nova had boarded the police vehicle with her daughter while the police were still extracting Daryl Parojinog, a nephew of Mayor Reynald Parojinog Sr.

Daryl, who was wounded from a grenade thrown by police, was seen being carried onto a stretcher in the video. He died from his injuries on Tuesday.

Mayor Parojinog, his wife Susan, his brother Misamis Occidental board member Octavio, and their sister Mona were killed on Sunday.

Two of the Mayor's men were found dead in the Mayor's guardhouse. Photos showed one bodyguard strewn shirtless across a bed while another lay on the floor with his head resting on a pool of blood. Both bodies had weapons beside them.

Three barangay watchmen were dead on the grounds outside the Vice Mayor's house, where a search warrant was also executed.

One of the photos showed how one of the Mayor's men had his leg detached from his body. Some bodies were seen piled on top of each other. A cameraman from one of the city's media outfits also perished in the encounter.

A photo also showed  Mayor's son Aldong Jr. cuffed in his own home, while seated on the floor with others who were arrested.

The Parajinogs' counsel Ferdinand Topacio said the police could have conducted the search through less aggressive means.

"'Yung sinasabi ng kapulisan na 'yan ay tinuturing nilang warlord, o 'di umano may private army etcetera, alam niyo marami namang paraan para hindi magbuwis ng buhay," Topacio said.

"Pwede naman na sa halip na granada a tear gas, marami pong paraan 'yan eh, pero hindi po ginawa 'yun," he added.

"Parang sinadya at labis na karahasan po ang ginamit sa pagsisilbi ng search warrant."

Police have maintained that there was nothing irregular about the raid. The Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service will investigate the raid, a probe that PNP chief Dir. Gen. Ronald Dela Rosa has described as procedural.

Court cases

Nova Princess and her brother Reynaldo Jr., have been brought to Camp Crame are facing charges 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 for violating 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."

Topacio said he will present the images when the Vice Mayor and her brother go to court.

Ozamiz police has said it recovered high-powered firearms to the stocks of shabu, drug paraphernalia and wads of cash from the Parojinog home.

But Topacio said it is up to the government to prove these indeed belonged to the family.

"'Yun po ay patunayan nalang nila sa hukuman sapagkat sila po ang nag-aakusa, nasa kanila po ang burden of proof, ika nga," Topacio said. —Margaret Claire Layug/JST, GMA News