MANILA - Authorities will "fact-check" the state of health of former Ozamiz City councilor Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog prior to his death, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Sunday.

Parojinog died in detention due to cardiac arrest, the Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier said. He is the younger brother of Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo "Aldog" Parojinog, who was linked by President Rodrigo Duterte linked to the illegal drugs trade, and then killed in a police raid in July 2017.

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Ricardo faces multiple charges including murder and was brought to Ozamiz City from the PNP Custodial Center on Thursday for a court hearing. He had been held at PNP headquarters facility in Quezon City since his arrest in 2018.

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"The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) will find out if Parojinog had already been sick before he was transferred, and what his condition was upon actual arrival in Ozamiz," Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.

Ricardo, who was linked to the Kuratong Baleleng crime syndicate, hid for 10 months before he was nabbed in Taiwan in 2018 for entering the country using illegal documents. He was sentenced to 3 months in prison and a fine of NT$ 1,000 (around P1,750) per day.

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