BY AARON RECUENCO
Two days after the death of former Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog inside a police detention facility on Friday, his sister Melodia ‘Apyat’ Parojinog-Malingin also died due to a heart disease, police confirmed Monday.
Melodia is also facing drug charges after they allegedly yielded eight kilos of shabu in a raid in their house in December 2017. She and her husband Gaudencio have been under detention since then and awaiting trial.
Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said Melodia was taken to the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Ozamiz City due to her medical condition. She died on Sunday morning.
Quoting the findings of the doctors, Cascolan said Melodia died of Cardiogenic Shock secondary to intractable cardiac arrhythmia Atrial Fibrillation to Ventricular Tachycardia secondary to Massive Gastrointestinal Bleeding Secondary to Uremic Gastropathy.
The death of Melodia came at the time the police are still investigating the death of Ardot who was found unconscious inside a police detention cell at around 6 a.m. on September 4. He was supposed to attend a hearing of his case that time.
Based on the initial findings, Ardot died of cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to cardiovascular disease.
Despite the findings, investigation is still being conducted to determine if there was a foul play behind his death.
“Accordingly the family of Ardot Parojinog did not request for an autopsy, knowing fully well the health condition of the deceased but our investigation is continuing. Any kind of findings we will be able to evaluate,” said Cascolan.
Ardot was arrested in Taiwan and eventually deported to the Philippines to face trial on the drug charges leveled against him.
He was a member of the influential political clan in Ozamiz City. His brother, then Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, and other relatives died in a police operation in 2017 when cops raided the house for illegal drugs.
The Parojinogs were tagged as involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in Ozamiz City and other areas in Mindanao
Aside from the death of his kin, some of his relatives are also currently detained for drug charges, including Nova Parojinog who was tagged as having links with convicted drug lords in the National Bilibid Prisons. (Aaron Recuenco)
