Inmate Parojinog offered but refused to go to hospital hours before death, police says
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Hours before he died on Friday, Sept. 4, high-profile inmate Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog had complained of physical discomfort but refused to go to the hospital.
Instead, he preferred to sleep the discomfort off inside the detention cell in Ozamiz City, Col. Danildo Tumanda, Misamis Occidental provincial police director, quoting the report from the Ozamiz police.
Parojinog told the jail guard on duty that he was not feeling well and complained of itchiness on the night of Sept. 3.
“The guard on duty asked him if they could buy his medicine for him. He declined. He said he still had his Cetirizine, an anti-allergy drug,” Tumanda told The Inquirer on Monday, Sept. 7.
Tumanda said the guard also asked Parojinog if he wanted to be brought to a hospital. Again, he refused, saying he needed to go to sleep because he felt unwell.
Parojinog, who was brought in from Camp Crame to face the various charges filed against him in a court in Ozamiz, was found dead Friday morning.
The day before he died, Tumanda said friends and relatives had brought various food such as shrimps, crabs, and dumplings for Parojinog, although the custodial team who escorted the suspect checked them.
He said only the custodial personnel were authorized to give Parojinog food and water.
“All the food brought in was screened by the custodial team, and most of it was not allowed to be served to the suspect,” he said.
He said Parojinog disclosed to the police that he was allergic to chicken when the custodial personnel brought him fried chicken bought from fast food.
Of all the food that was brought to him, Parojinog allowed only the beef dumpling to be served, and it was the only food brought outside that he ate.
Based on the findings of the Philippine National Police (PNP) forensics expert, Parojinog did not have external injuries on his body, such as bruises and wounds, according to Tumanda.
“Per report from the SOCO, there was no sign of struggle as there were no markings on his body,” he said.
Medical experts from the Ozamiz city health office reported that Parojinog died of cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to cardiovascular disease.
Based on the information gathered by the police, Parojinog was suffering from heart enlargement and had frequented St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment weeks before he died.
Tumanda also noted that the suspect looked ill when he arrived at the Ozamiz Airport on Sept. 3.
“He looked pale and weak,” Tumanda said, referring to Parojinog.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it would conduct its investigation into Parojinog’s death since the government was obliged to guarantee the dignity and rights of persons in custody.
“The life and physical integrity of persons deprived of liberty is the responsibility of detaining authorities,” said lawyer Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokespersons, in a statement Monday. “Regardless of the presumed cause, death under custody necessitates an independent investigation,” she added.
De Guia said Parojinog’s relatives must also be given impartial and objective information and that the public must be reassured of the fidelity of concerned authorities in upholding their obligations towards detained persons.
