Vice President Leni Robredo. AP FILE PHOTO
Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday called for a “thorough investigation” into the raid that killed Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., 14 others including his family.
“Inaasahan natin na masusing imbestigasyon iyong gagawin. Hindi basta-basta iyong insidente na nangyari,” she said in an ambush interview on Wednesday at the sidelines of her “Metro Laylayan” visit in Navotas City.
(We expect a thorough investigation because it was not an ordinary incident.)
“Kailangang mapakita na iyong hustisya mase-serve. Gusto nating magtiwala sa mga institusyon ng pamahalaan na gagawin iyong imbestigasyong nararapat,” Robredo said.
(We need to show that justice will be served. We want to trust that the government institutions conducting the investigation will do the right thing.)
READ: Death came for Parojinogs: What neighbors heard
Although Robredo said the incident will serve as a warning to public officials involved in drugs, she insisted that the rule of law must always be observed.
“Kuwestiyon din ito doon sa paraan, sa paraan ng paggawa, kasi iyong demokrasya naman natin nakabase sa rule of law,” Robredo said.
(This is also a question into the implementation, because our democracy is based on the rule of law.)
“Iyong demokrasya natin, nakabase sa integrity ng institutions, kaya mahalaga iyong proseso na pagdaraanan, kasi ito iyong makakapag-determine kung kailangan ba tayong tumiwala (Our democracy hinges on the integrity of institutions, that’s why it’s important to pay attention to the steps we’ll undertake as these will determine if we should be trusting),” she added.
Last Sunday, Parojinog, his wife Susan, Misamis Occidental Board member Octavio Parojinog Jr., and other civilians were killed in a series of raids conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives. Police said they were met with volley of fire from Parojinogs’ security, prompting the lawmen to open fire.
The Parojinogs were earlier tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as narcopoliticians operating in Mindanao. IDL