By Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Reporter

A QUEZON City court found Reynaldo E. Parojinog, Jr., the son of slain Ozamis City mayor Reynaldo O. Parojinog, Sr., guilty beyond reasonable doubt for illegal possession of drugs.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 79 sentenced Mr. Parojinog to life imprisonment for violation of Section 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and ordered him to pay a fine of P500,000.

“(T)he prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that on July 30, 2017, the accused was in possession of more than 50 grams of shabu, a dangerous drugs,” Presiding Judge Nadine Jessica Corazon J. Fama wrote in the decision.

Mr. Parojinog was arrested along with his sister, Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental Vice-Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog-Echavez, in a raid in their residence on July 30, 2017. Their father, Reynaldo Sr. was killed in the operation along with 11 others.

The court said the prosecution was able to establish all elements of illegal possession of dangerous drugs while Mr. Parojinog failed to present “convincing evidence to rebut his possession of the seized drugs” and that the pieces of evidence against him were tampered.

It also denied Mr. Parojinog’s claim that the drugs were just planted in his house.

“The denial of the accused cannot be given credence by the Court. The claim of the defense that the drugs found in the house of the accused were planted was unsubstantiated by clear and convincing evidence,” the court said.

Reynaldo Jr. also faces charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

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