GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 6 Aug)—The chief of the Philippine National Police pointed out on Monday that what happened during the June 10 raid in Davao City to arrest fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and five others was “a critical mission” to arrest fugitives of the law with non-bailable offenses.
Members of the Philippine National Police outside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Buhangin, Davao City on 10 June 2024. MindaNews file photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA
Shown online via the Philippine Senates live stream, PNP Director General Rommel Marbil told the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, led by Senator Ronald dela Rosa, that they were simply doing their job in keeping with established procedures.
He said the Quiboloy posed a “high threat” due to the kind of influence that the fugitive preacher and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) wields, along with his extensive network.
“Let me be clear. This police operation was carried out with strict adherence to the PNP operational procedures. Our guiding principle was to uphold human rights while executing our duties with the highest standards of professionalism and respect of the law,” Marbil said.
Senator Robin Padilla suggested that Dela Rosa’s committee conduct an investigation into the PNP’s alleged “unnecessary and excessive force” during a failed attempt to arrest Quiboloy.
Padilla sponsored Senate Resolution No. 1051, pointing out that the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, chaired by former PNP Chief Dela Rosa, should probe in aid of legislation on what transpired on June 10.
At least 100 policemen raided the premises of the KOJC compounds in Davao City and in Malungon, Sarangani, to serve the warrants of arrest against its leader.
Quiboloy, along with five others—siblings Ingrid, Cresente, and Paulene Canada, Sylvia Cemañes, and Jackielyn Roy—face child abuse, sexual abuse, and qualified trafficking cases and were ordered arrested by courts in Davao and Pasig. Quiboloy was also charged with sexual abuse of a minor in Davao.
Of the six, only Paulene, the youngest of the Canada siblings, has so far been arrested and detained for the non-bailable human trafficking case.
During Monday’s hearing, Marbil clarified that the relief of 15 officers were not for alleged abuses but for failing to arrest Quiboloy and five others in connection with the non-bailable offenses.
Marbil said he immediately directed the PNP Internal Affairs Service to conduct an impartial investigation to determine if any operational lapses or “excessive force” were committed during a police operation at Quiboloy’s compound in Davao in June.
“As a result of the investigation, we have administratively relieved 15 PNP personnel, including three police commissioned officers and 12 police non-commissioned officers. Let me clarify, these officers were relieved not for alleged abuses but for their failure to arrest the fugitives of the law—Quiboloy and his co-accused,” Marbil said.
He pointed to the KOJC members who “disgracefully chose” to employ women and children as human shields in their effort to obstruct and delay the lawful actions of the police.
“Armed with bolos and other bladed weapons, male members of this group engaged in violent confrontations with police officers. As a result six individuals and two minors were taken to the police station but were released the same day for humanitarian reasons,” the police official said.
Marbil said the raiding teams exercised maximum tolerance as they faced aggression from KOJC members. He said the police officers were water-cannoned and several suffered injuries due to the KOJC resistance.
A video presented by the KOJC during the committee hearing showed water cannons being used against members of the raiding team as civilians tried to prevent authorities from entering one of the religious group’s properties in Davao.
Marbil told the Dela Rosa-chaired committee that the PNP deployed the Special Action Force (SAF) to augment the raiding teams because intelligence reports indicated that Quiboloy could employ his armed civilian supporters to engage those out to arrest him and his associates.
He said Quiboloy’s pronouncement in April that he will not allow himself to be caught alive was an “indication of defiance.”
“Fugitive Quiboloy’s blatant disregard of the law and mockery of the judicial process presented a formidable challenge to our security forces and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” Marbil said.
But those in Quiboloy’s camp, to include the fugitive preacher’s close friend—former President Rodrigo Duterte—took turns in criticizing the PNP, accusing authorities of carrying out illegal raids and of using excessive force against members of the religious group.
In a statement read by KOJC executive secretary Eleanor Cardona during the hearing, Duterte said, “June 10, 2024 will go down as a day of infamy.”
Duterte, who serves as property administrator of KOJC, said the law enforcers who carried out the simultaneous raids at the KOJC compounds in Davao, Samal, and Sarangani had no search warrants to show.
“This is a clear violation of the law. It was an overkill in any language. This act cannot go unpunished,” he said. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
