Supporters of Apollo Quiboloy gathered in front of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City on Sunday to protest the presence of the police, who have been scouring the premises with an arrest warrant for the fugitive pastor.
According to a report by Rgil Relator of GMA Regional TV, the gathering began at around 6 p.m., with KOJC members occupying the northbound lane of the road in front of the compound.
As the crowd gathered, a man spoke on a microphone or loudspeaker, decrying the serving of the arrest warrant.
“Grabe ang pagpang-abuso,” he said, according to a Regional TV News report, which also stated that the group burned tires in the middle of the road, because the police allegedly used tear gas against them.
The police entered the compound on the morning of Saturday, August 24, to arrest Quiboloy. He has not yet been found.
Quiboloy is wanted for the alleged violation of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, and Republic Act (RA) 9208, or Qualified Human Trafficking.
He has also been indicted by a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Central District of California for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
Quiboloy went into hiding shortly after the Senate issued an arrest order against him for refusing to attend the chamber’s hearings.
TIMELINE: Apollo Quiboloy’s legal troubles
The search for Quiboloy within the KOJC compound has been condemned by former president Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte, both staunch allies of the pastor.
”Our country has never been in a more tragic state as it is today. Rights have been trampled upon and our laws derided,” said the elder Duterte, who according to the group’s media arm SMNI is also the administrator of the KOJC’s properties.
The vice president, meanwhile, alleged “gross abuse of police power.”
“These acts are not only a blatant violation of Constitutionally-protected rights but a betrayal of the trust that we, Filipinos, place in the very institution sworn to protect and serve us,” she said.
The Police Reqional Office 11 said its units will not leave until the pastor is arrested.
Some KOJC members have filed a complaint against the police, saying they sustained injuries during the police operation. On Saturday, a male KOJC member died, with the police saying he passed away from a heart attack.
The Commission on Human Rights urged those involved from all sides to “remain calm and cooperate fully with the legal proceedings, in the interest of justice and peace.” — BM, GMA Integrated News
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