Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

Vice President Sara Duterte's statements wherein she suggested that her friend, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy may have already escaped from the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City could come back to haunt her. 

This, after Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon and Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua raised the possibility that the Vice President could be charged with obstruction of justice, given that Philippine National Police (PNP) operatives had been trying to locate Quiboloy at the sprawling compound. 

Reports said that Quiboloy surrendered on Sunday night, Sept. 8, just as police were set to pounce on his specific location. 

Bongalon reckoned that Vice President Duterte, along with Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, can also be investigated, and even charged, for obstruction of justice for trying to divert policemen’s attention in serving Quiboloy’s warrant.  

"If the former president [Rodrigo Duterte]– who used to be the chief implementor of the country’s laws – can be charged for helping Quiboloy hide, then so should his daughter and the former PNP chief who is now a senator,” explained the House assistant majority leader. 

“Let us remember that the VP herself declared that the good pastor has already left the country. And now with Quiboloy’s arrest, what does that make of her? Did she or did she not protect him and obstruct the administration of justice by diverting police’s attention?” Bongalon, a lawyer, asked.  

Chua, chairman of House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, has a similar concern. 

"Vice President Sara Duterte’s previous statements downplaying Quiboloy’s presence in the compound now appear to be misleading, if not intentionally deceptive," he said.

"Her assurances that Quiboloy was no longer within the compound call into question her credibility and suggest an attempt to shield the preacher from justice," noted the Manila solon.

Chua said that such actions, if proven, "would not only obstruct the course of justice but also erode public trust in our officials".

"The arrest of a figure as controversial as Quiboloy, who faces serious allegations of human trafficking and other heinous crimes, should have been handled with transparency and cooperation from all concerned parties, particularly those in power," he said.

READ THIS:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/9/harboring-quiboloy-solons-want-duterte-probed-for-role-at-kojc

"If the Duterte family played any role in protecting or enabling Quiboloy during his time as a fugitive, they must be held accountable, just like any other citizen," underscored Chua. 

Vice President Duterte was quoted as saying last Sept. 2: “Napakataas ‘yung time na puwede niyang pag-isipan na aalis na ba ako o hindi. At isa din ‘yun sa mga dapat pag-isipan din ng administrasyon. Dahil sa mahabang-habang grand standing sa committee hearing, hindi na tuloy nakuha si Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.” 

(A lot of time has passed for him to think about whether he would leave or not. And that's one thing that the administration should think about. Because of the lengthy grandstanding in the committee hearing, they failed to catch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.) 

When asked about Quiboloy’s possible whereabouts, the lady official said: “Ako, kung one guess kung nasaan si Pastor Quiboloy, nasa langit.” 

(For me, if I would make one guess as to where Pastor Quiboloy is, he's in heaven.)