DAVAO CITY – Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte criticized the police attempt to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused at their compound here, saying "they are no longer following the proper procedure in serving the arrest warrant."
The city mayor said in a statement on his Facebook page, CM Baste Duterte, on Monday, August 26, that the people of Davao respect the implementation of arrest warrants against the religious leader and his co-accused as long as it is in accordance with the law.
"However, we have observed that the PNP personnel led by Gen. Rommel Marbil and Gen. Nicolas Torre III are no longer following proper procedure in implementing the warrant especially the use of excessive force against innocent citizens and their unauthorized occupation at the KOJC compound," Duterte said.
According to reports, 18 members of the KOJC were taken into custody on Monday afternoon after police broke up the religious group's protest in front of their compound here. They are facing complaints for alleged obstruction of justice.
Police also removed barricades set up in the area.
Duterte said as much as he wanted to intervene, police will only listen to the PNP chief and commander-in-chief President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
"We acknowledge the right of the members of the KOJC to protest. However, I am asking you to do it in a peaceful manner and refrain from doing activities that will disrupt traffic flow to ensure the safety of your members and of the public," Duterte said.
Duterte assured the people of Davao that this city's safety and security are the top priorities of the city government. He said they are committed to maintaining a peaceful and secure environment for all the people.
"We will continue to address any threats against our city. This situation has already caused inconvenience to motorists, businesses, and the public. The public seeks clarification from the PNP, how long do you intend to stay at the KOJC property?" Duterte said.
KOJC legal counsel Israelito Torreon said that the police had already served their purpose and that they have no legal basis in their prolonged stay at the compound. He added that an arrest warrant doesn't give them the permission to search a property owned by someone else.
Quiboloy, who is accused of child abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking before the courts in Davao City and Pasig City, said in April that he was preserving himself by hiding from authorities and not from the charges filed against him following the threat to his life.
Torreon said in his Facebook account that in Quiboloy’s case, there is also a threat to his life and there is also a clear danger of being extraordinarily rendered to the US because his detractors likewise filed trumped up charges against him there.
"Pastor Quiboloy previously requested the Philippine government that it issue a written declaration that he will not be extraordinarily rendered to the US and that US should not interfere in the proceedings in the Philippines yet this was never done," Torreon said.
Instead, Torreon said, Sonshine Media Network International was closed, the assets of the SMNI, KOJC, Children’s Joy Foundation were all frozen even if the evidences did not link him to the ownership of these properties.
Hundreds of Quiboloy's supporters blocked parts of a major highway here to disrupt traffic near the KOJC compound. They insist on the pastor's innocence, claiming that the accusations against him are false.