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2 judges order transfer of Nova Parojinog to QC BJMP

August 26, 2021 Alfred P. Dalizon 452 views

DESPITE last-minute efforts by her lawyers to prevent the movement of her client from Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center on Wednesday transferred former Ozamiz City Vice-mayor Nova Princess Parojinog to the Quezon City Female Dormitory in Camp Karingal following an order from two Q.C. judges, the Journal Group learned.

Parojinog is the daughter of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog who was killed, along with his wife and 13 others in a police anti-narcotics and anti-illegal weapons’ raid on July 30, 2017. The former vice-mayor has been detained at the Camp Crame jail since July 31, 2017 for illegal possession of firearms and dangerous drugs, charges which she had vehemently denied.

Prior to her transfer to the Q.C. jail, the accused thru her lawyers have managed to get the nod of the court to keep her inside the Camp Crame jail which they said is the safest detention place for her while her cases are pending.

Judge Mitushella Manzanero-Casiño of the Q.C. Regional Trial Court Branch 228 ordered the transfer of custody of Parojinog from the maximum-security PNP Custodial Center to the Q.C. Female Dormitory last August 11 and ordered the jail warden to safely keep the accused during the pendency of her case.

On the other hand, Judge Edgardo Bellosillo of Q.C. RTC Branch 95 last August 20 ordered the PNP Headquarters Support Service under Brigadier General Arthur V. Bisnar to cause the transfer of the custody and detention of Parojinog to the Q.C. Female Dormitory in Camp Karingal, thus echoing the previous directive from Q.C. RTC Branch 228.

The PNP-HSS thru e-mail last August 9 requested the Q.C. Branch 228 to order the transfer of Parojinog from the PNPCC to the Q.C. Female Dormitory despite objections from the Parojinog camp.

The same RTC branch on July 21, 2020 directed the PNPCC to already transfer Parojinog to the Camp Karingal facility since it is directly under the jurisdiction of the said court.

The court maintained that Parojinog should be subjected to the usual health protocols which include the conduct of an RT-PCR test and a thorough medical examination.

The Journal Group learned that in his August 20 order, Judge Bellosillo ruled on the motion of Brig. Gen. Bisnar for the transfer of custody and detention of Parojinog

To either the Q.C. Jail or the Women’s Dorm of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Camp General Tomas B. Karingal.

It its comment to the motion of Bisnar, the prosecution manifested that the Court previously had ordered the transfer of the custody and detention of the accused from the PNPCC to the BJMP Detention Facilities-Special Intensive Care Area or SICA inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City.

The prosecution also manifested that the Q.C. RTC Branch 228 on March 16, 2020 also ordered the transfer of Parojinog from the PNPCC to the BJMP-SICA.

However, the Q.C. RTC Branch 228 on July 21, 2020 issued another order directing the commitment of the accused from the PNPCC to the Q.C. Female Dormitory in Camp Karingal upon consideration of a letter from former PNP-HSS director, Brig. Gen. Alexander J. Sampaga who informed the court that the Camp Bagong Diwa facility does not cater to female persons deprived of liberty and the accused could not be possibly accommodated therein.

On July 30, 2020, the same court, upon motion of Parojinog issued an order directing the PNPCC to hold in abeyance its July 21, 2020 order.

Last August 11, the same court reiterated its order to finally transfer Parojinog to the Q.C. female dormitory following a similar manifestation from Brig. Gen. Bisnar.

Prior to that order, Q.C. Jail Female Dormitory warden Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion told Judge Bellosillo that their facility is not designed to accommodate a ‘high-profile Person Deprived of Liberty or PDL’ like Parojinog as “it would require greater degree of supervision if her custody is transferred to their facility unlike ordinary PDLs.’

Pacion told the court that the BJMP also has already established jail facilities designed to specifically accommodate the likes of Parojinog, citing in particular the Taguig City Jail Female Dormitory inside Camp Bagong Diwa.

The warden also cited a ‘threat assessment’ from the Q.C. Police District which recommended her transfer to the Camp Bagong Diwa jail ‘considering that she is a high-profile personality and that said detention facility is more capable of ensuring the safety and security of subject PDL and is much more capable of thwarting possible rescue attempts to be perpetrated by sympathizers and supporters still loyal to the Parojinog Drug Group.

In May 2015, then BJMP National Capital Region director, Jail Director Diony Mamaril directed all BJMP wardens to effect the ‘immediate transfer of all inmates classified as ‘high-risk’ to most secured facilities within their areas of responsibility which include, but not limited to the SICA jails in Camp Bagong Diwa which has a standby reactionary team and a BJMP jail inside a military or a police camp.

Mamaril also ordered his wardens to coordinate with concerned executive judges to ensure compliance to his order and cause the filing of a separate request/petition to the court concerned for the transfer of venue of the case to the court having jurisdiction over the most secure facility to avoid the movement of inmates from the said jail to the court having original jurisdiction over the case which only exposes BJMP personnel to great risk.

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