EDDIE BARRITA Raid on Parojinogs, Espinosa Part 2?

Media reports dub the Sunday dawn raid that killed Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 13 others as “Mayor Espinosa Part 2,” akin to the Nov. 5, 2016 raid in a Baybay City subprovincial jail that killed Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.

Among the similarities pointed out was the admission by Ozamis City’s controversial police chief that they deliberately cut off closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras prior to the raid.

If this is Mayor Espinosa Part 2, could Part 3 not be far behind?

In both instances, the police said they were “engaged” by both mayors in a gunbattle, forcing them to shoot back.

Both raids were done at dawn to serve search warrants. Espinosa’s cell was raided just before 4 a.m., while Parojinog’s house and farms were raided at 2:30 a.m.

At the center of both cases was Chief Insp. Jovy Espenido, who was Albuera police chief when Espinosa was gunned down, and Ozamiz City cop chief in the Parojinog raid. Espenido was, howev- er, quick to say he wasn’t part of the Espinosa raid.

The shutting off of the CCTV cameras was revealed by lawyer Jeffrey James Ocang. Footage from the CCTV cameras could have been useful for post-event investigations.

Espenido said they “paralyzed” the CCTV cameras to protect the identities of their confidential agents and witnesses, a Philippine Star report said.

But PNP Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said cutting off the CCTV cameras was wrong because they serve as part of transparency in operations. Well, it seems the raiders in both cases were camera shy.

Two senators wondered on the high number of fatalities and why there were no casualties from the police.

Bato said they wanted the Parojinogs alive to answer the charges against them.

But Bato also said, “I’m always saying that: After the smoke is clear, it should be the good man standing and the bad man lying on the pavement.”