Former chief executive Rodrigo Duterte condemned in no uncertain terms what he called the “excessive force” displayed by arresting officers against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) pastor Apollo Quiboloy and five others inside KOJC Dome at Buhangin District in Davao City on Monday.
The officers were not able to serve the warrant of arrest to the fugitive pastor because they failed to locate his whereabouts.
Duterte said in a statement that the warrants of arrest, served by police officers who were not even from Davao City, were served past 5pm in a place of worship and school premises. This made it “absolutely unacceptable”.
The former president took this opportunity to also criticize the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the botched arrest of Quiboloy, a known supporter of Duterte.
“How can this administration guarantee the preservation of the constitutional rights of our fellow Filipinos when even the most fundamental of these rights are being trampled upon and blatant violated?”
The former president also raised the question of this administration’s “lack of self-restraint” when dealing with critics of the government and their supporters.
Quiboloy faces charges under Section 5(b) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, including Section 10(a) of the same.
Meanwhile, Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called out authorities for their failure to locate and arrest Quiboloy due to what could be a possible “breakdown in police intelligence”.
The lawmaker, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said in a statement that she had already raised this issue several months ago after the warrants of arrest were released.
In response to the failure of police officers to arrest the fugitive pastor on Monday, Hontiveros gave a warning to the Philippine National Police leadership to ensure that “none of our officers are being influenced by Quiboloy or any of his allies, particularly former President [Rodrigo] Duterte.”