Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go have renewed their call for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to help end the ongoing stand-off at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City and help restore normalcy in the lives of its members as well as the national police force.
Speaking during the Senate Subcommittee on Justice and Human Rights hearing led by Dela Rosa, the senator appealed to the President to “listen to these people.”
“Kung nakikinig sana si President Bongbong Marcos ngayon (If President Marcos is listening now), I am appealing to you, Mr. President. Please listen to these people. Mr. President, sana ibalik mo ang buhay nitong mga tao na ito to normal (I hope you bring back the lives of these people back to normal), not only to the KOJC members but also to your policemen," Dela Rosa said during the hearing held at Davao City's Sangguniang Panlungsod last Friday.
Dela Rosa, himself a former PNP chief, noted that some of the police officials detailed at the KOJC compound come from other regions.
“Galing pa ito sa ibang region. Ilang araw na dito walang matinong higaan, walang matinong kain, walang matinong tulog, walang matinong ligo (Some of them come from other region. They have been here for several days without a sensible bed, without sensible food, without sensible sleep, without bathing),” Dela Rosa said.
“I am appealing to you, Mr. President. Please act on this. Huwag ninyong isara ‘yung utak ninyo (Please don’t be close-minded). Para mahuli lang si (just to arrest) Pastor (Apollo) Quiboloy, you are willing to sacrifice everything. That’s only an appeal. I hope you are listening,” he added.
Go, likewise, made the same call as he also emphasized the need for both sides to work towards a peaceful resolution to the problem, which has caused disruption in Davao City’s community.
“Ang tanong ko po …ano bang magiging endgame dito? Hanggang kailan tatagal ang sitwasyong ito (My question is...what will be the endgame here? How long will this situation last)?” Go asked during the hearing.
According to Go, some people have expressed their concern to him, saying that tourists and other visitors have begun to express fears about the security of the city.
“Marami po ang nagtatanong sa akin sa Maynila, ‘Kumusta na kayo sa Davao?’ ‘Safe bang pumunta ng Davao?’ Mga turista nagtatanong po sa akin, safe pa bang pumunta sa Davao. Nalulungkot po ako, bilang isang Dabawenyo (Many people ask me in Manila, 'How are you doing in Davao?' 'Is it safe to go to Davao?' Tourists ask me, is it still safe to go to Davao? I am sad, as a Dabawenyo),” he said.
Go said what he is strongly against at is the alleged excessive use of force by the PNP in their implementation of the arrest warrant against Quiboloy and other KOJC members facing complaint.
While it is the duty of the police to serve an arrest warrant, it must not come at the expense of civilian safety, the disruption of peace, or the desecration of religious spaces, Go reiterated.
“When the enforcement of the law crosses the line into excessive force, when it is wielded not as a tool for justice but as a weapon of destruction, it is incumbent upon us to speak out,” the lawmaker said.
“Ang maayos na pagpapatupad sa batas ang nagsisilbing pundasyon ng ating tiwala sa gobyerno at nagpapatibay ng ating paniniwala sa isang patas at makatarungang sistema (The proper implementation of the law serves as the foundation of our trust in the government and reinforces our belief in a fair and just system),” Go reiterated.