Who’s next?

Inever thought it could happen. Not in a million years. But it has. The Duterte administration has just shown the public how serious it is in the war against illegal drugs when it went after a whole clan whose members have been linked to various nefarious activities that include, among others, extortion, robbery and kidnapping.

As a result, the city of Ozamiz is without a mayor and Misamis Occidental is missing one Provincial Board member.

Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and his brother PB Member Octavio Parojinog Jr. were killed when the mayor’s security team engaged authorities serving warrants in a gun battle in the wee hours of Sunday.

Also killed were the mayor’s wife Susan and his sister Mona, and 11 others.

The mayor’s daughter Nova, who is also the city’s vice mayor, survived the encounter and is under police custody along with her brother.

She and her father had been tagged by the President among narcopoliticians in Mindanao. Of course, they denied the charges.

The Parojinogs have been linked to the crime syndicate Kuratong Baleleng, which was initially founded as a counter-insurgency group under military supervision by the family patriarch, the late Octavio Sr., father of the slain mayor.

Ozamiz City Police Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, who headed the dawn raid, said the Parojinogs were the source of illegal drugs in the city.

I’ve never been to Ozamiz so I don’t know if residents are happy or sad about the recent development.

Either way, the city and the province can heave a sigh of relief that the stigma of being the lair of a notorious gang has been removed. Maybe that part of the country will finally see some real progress that will not be so inclusive. Something that will trickle down to the common folk.

Here on our shores, many are speculating where Espenido will be assigned next.

To those who still don’t know, the police official also served as chief of police of Albuera, Leyte whose mayor, Rolando Espinosa, was shot dead inside his jail cell while being served a search warrant last year. Espenido had tagged Rolando and the latter’s son Kerwin as illegal drug traffickers.

Local officials who were on Duterte’s list of drug personalities must be scampering to wipe any trace of their involvement in the illegal drug trade. Or they can just surrender.

But if they’re truly innocent, then they have nothing to fear.

So if they find Espenido knocking on their door, they should invite him in. After all, they have nothing to hide. Offer him some refreshments. I’m sure not even Espenido can turn down a morsel of some of Cebu’s scrumptious delicacies.