Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

Vice President Sara Duterte is at it again.

House "Young Guns" bloc members La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun called out the lady official for her statement amid the Philippine National Police's (PNP) continuing efforts to bring Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to justice.

“It’s disheartening to see Vice President Duterte try to shift the narrative by invoking her role in the last election. The reality is that this situation is about holding a fugitive accountable for his actions, not about who voted for whom in 2022," Ortega said in a statement Sunday, Aug. 25.

Ortega, an assistant majority leader, was referring to Vice President Duterte's statements wherein she apologized to Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) members for urging them to vote for her one-time UniTEAM partner, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the May 2022 polls.

Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God", is the founder and leader of KOJC church.

“This is a clear attempt to deflect from the real issue at hand, which is Quiboloy’s refusal to submit to the law. Instead of apologizing for political choices, the Vice President should be focusing on ensuring that her ally faces justice,” said Khonghun, another assistant majority leader in the House.

Khonghun and Ortega also expressed dismay at the Vice President’s statement condemning what she called an “abuse of police power” during the PNP operation to serve arrest warrants on Quiboloy and his co-accused for child abuse and human trafficking at the KOJC compound in Davao City.

The administration solons said the cops were executing a legitimate court order. Any attempt to paint this as harassment or abuse is misleading and irresponsible, they said.

“The PNP was simply doing its job by enforcing a valid arrest warrant against Quiboloy and his cohorts, who are facing serious charges,” Ortega said.

"To call this an ‘abuse of power’ is a gross mischaracterization of the situation. The police were acting within the bounds of the law, and any confrontation that ensued was the result of resistance from within the compound, not police overreach,” he added.

Khonghun stressed that the law must be applied equally, regardless of an individual’s connections or influence.

“No one is above the law, and that includes Pastor Quiboloy The Vice President should be encouraging compliance with legal processes, not undermining them with baseless accusations and apologies that do nothing to address the real issue,” he said.

Ortega urged the Vice President to respect the rule of law and support the PNP in its efforts to uphold justice. “The law must prevail, and we expect all public officials, including the Vice President, to stand behind our institutions as they work to ensure that justice is served."

Quiboloy is the spiritual adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the Vice President's father.