DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 September) — Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte believes that police operations to serve the arrest warrants on fugitive Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy has become a siege on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound.
Duterte arrived at around 1:30 p.m. at the session hall of the Sangguniang Panlungsod where the Senate investigation, in aid of legislation, was conducted, and said he respects the implementation of the arrest warrants but the “pursuit of justice must never come at the expense of fairness and due process,” referring to the police operations at the 23-hectare compound that entered Day 14 on Friday.
“The 13-day operations at the KOJC Compound has raised questions from citizens on the integrity and legality of said operations. Are these operations being done by the PNP (Philippine National Police) still within the bounds of the law? Are the rights of the Filipinos being respected and protected? These are the critical questions that demand answers,” he said.
At the hearing, Duterte met regional Police Chief, Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, whom he had publicly criticized for the conduct of the police operations in the KOJC compound.
The investigation was called by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, chair of the “Subcommittee on the Privilege Speech on the PNP Operation in the KOJC” under the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Several KOJC representatives, including lawyers Israelito Torreon and Dinah Fuentes, and police officials, attended the hearing.
At 2:54 p.m., the mayor interrupted the presentation of Torreon and asked dela Rosa if he could leave as he had other matters to attend to but requested that he be allowed to address his questions to police officials.
“I just want to ask the PNP, did you use teargas and were you armed when you entered the premises of the KOJC? Mr. Chair, it is not to be answered right now. I just leave the questions to the floor,” he said.
But dela Rosa told him that the local chief executive could get his answers, and directed Torre to respond to the mayor’s questions.
Torre did not deny that his personnel were armed when they came to serve the arrest warrants on Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy and four of his five co-accused at the KOJC compound as this was part of the standard operating procedures but denied using teargas during police operations.
“Definitely not, Sir, because we don’t have gas masks. If we intend to use tear gas, we must prepare gas masks,” he said.
Dela Rosa said he agreed with Torre that police officers could end up harming themselves if they used tear gas on the KOJC members without gas masks.
Controverting these claims, Torre said that it was the KOJC members who used the fire extinguishers on the police forces.
“Maraming fire extinguishers ang ginagamit, hindi lang isa (Several extinguishers were used, not only one),” he said.
In the latter part of the hearing, during Torreon’s presentation of what he said was a photograph of what he said was a tear gas canister, dela Rosa interrupted him to say that was not a tear gas but a smoke grenade.
Duterte said the continued presence of the law enforcers within the premises of the KOJC compound, a private property, raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of the operations.
He said the Senate inquiry is an opportunity “not only for Dabawenyos but also for all Filipino people to understand why these events are unfolding in this manner.”
“If the PNP, the very institution that is mandated to uphold the law, is the one who violated it, where can the ordinary citizen turn for justice and protection? Who will defend the rights of those who are powerless?” he asked.
Quiboloy is facing charges for alleged child abuse and qualified human trafficking, along with co-accused Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes. Paulene was arrested last July 11 at her residence in Emily Homes Subdivision in Barangay Cabantian here.
These suspects have two warrants of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Davao City and the RTC in Pasig City in April this year.
Last May 28, the Supreme Court’s Second Division ordered the transfer of the two criminal cases from RTC in Davao to RTC in Quezon City.
The Senate also issued a warrant for his arrest on March 19 after the self-proclaimed appointed “son of God” was cited for contempt for snubbing for the third time the hearings of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality.
The Senate committee was investigating, in aid of legislation, the “reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence, and child abuse of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) under its leader Apollo Quiboloy.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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