Ozamiz City police chief
Jovie Espenido admitted to the media that police had destroyed the CCTV cameras installed in the house in order to protect the identities of the informants who helped them in the operation. However,
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief
Ronald dela Rosa stated that destroying the CCTV cameras was "wrong". Vice Mayor Parojinog-Echavez appealed to
President Rodrigo Duterte and the Senate to investigate the deaths. The
Commission on Human Rights (CHR), on July 31, launched its investigation for the deaths. Dela Rosa said that the death of the Parojinogs should "serve as a warning to mayors with links to drugs" and mayors are warned not to fight the police. The Parojinog camp filed a case against the CIDG for detaining Nova Princess and Reynaldo Parojinog Jr., who should have been released from detention after 36 hours. The CIDG admitted they had encountered a problem in transporting the Parajinog siblings, thus causing the delay. In an interview on
ABS-CBN News, according to a former hitman and drug courier known only as "Noel", many of his colleagues working for the Parojinogs have gone missing. Noel was sent to
Bilibid to get a kilogram of shabu, to be delivered to Ozamiz and distributed to Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and his daughter Nova Princess. On August 2, Senator
Leila de Lima filed a resolution calling for a Senate investigation on the "suspicious" circumstances surrounding the raid. Senator
Panfilo Lacson said that the Senate investigation will start only if the witnesses are available.
Vice President Leni Robredo supported the call for an investigation. Due to an ultimatum given by Espenido to barangay officials, who allegedly were given illegal firearms from the Parojinogs, more than 300 firearms were surrendered to the Police. Paraffin tests conducted by the Philippine National Police showed that eight – including Mayor Parojinog Sr. and his brother Octavio Jr. – of the 15 slain individuals tested positive for gunpowder burns, indicating they engaged the police. On August 4, the
Department of Justice filed criminal cases against the Parojinog siblings. The motion filed by the Parojinog siblings to attend the wake of their parents and other family members on August 13 was denied by Ozamiz Regional Trial Court. A drug test conducted on August 15 showed that the Parojinog siblings were tested negative for drug use. Reynaldo's brother, Ricardo Parojinog, was arrested in Taiwan on May 24, 2018, after 10 months of hiding. He was later found
dead in his jail cell on September 4, 2020.
Disputed statements The police statement of the raid has been disputed by the Parojinog family and its eyewitness: Parojinog-Echavez said that the police "planted" the evidence of contraband that they seized, an allegation denied by de Guzman. An unnamed survivor and a relative of the Parojinogs said in TV interviews that there was no exchange of gunfire as the police invaded and shot everyone inside the mayor's house. A neighbor of the mayor said that it was a "massacre". One unidentified eyewitness appeared, said that the police threw a grenade at the Parojinogs' men. According to Espenido, a grenade exploded as a Parojinog bodyguard tried to toss it at the approaching police officers. Another eyewitness named "Joe", via phone interview on
ABS-CBN News, said that the police planted the explosives at the house, while drug paraphernalia was planted in his room. ==Reactions==