Full force
- Police raid KJC compounds in continued manhunt for fugitive pastor
COMBINED elements of the different police units stormed the gated compounds of televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy at 4 a.m. on June 10 to serve the arrest warrant against the televangelist and five others accused of child abuse and trafficking.
However, they failed to find Quiboloy and the five accused.
After a brief standoff when the pastor’s supporters formed a human barricade, cooler heads prevailed as KJC members allowed searches of all their compounds, despite the authorities only having arrest warrants, this was according to Atty Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes, in a phone interview with SMNI News.
Accordingly, as claimed by Lawyer Israelito Torreon, the gate of Glory Mountain was destroyed, two to five members who are Indigenous missionaries were handcuffed and kicked by authorities for possessing bolo used for farming, and no search warrants were presented.
In an interview on Monday, Major Catherine Dela Rey, the spokesperson of Police Regional Office (PRO) XI, said they are still waiting for the official report on the said incident. “We are still waiting if it was temporarily handcuffed and then released after,” she said.
“For now, there are some [personnel] since the area is wide and not only the pastor is the target, there are other five,” she added. ” She further explained.
She also explained it was standard procedure for the police operatives to wear full battle gear.
In the end, they left the compounds empty-handed.
The simultaneous operations were led by the Criminal Investigation and Detecting Group (CIDG), Police Regional Office 11, 10, and 12, Special Action Force (SAF), and the Civil Disturbance Management unit for crowd control.
Quiboloy and the five others are facing criminal cases for other acts of child abuse under section 10 (A) of Republic Act no. 7610; other sexual abuse under section 5 of RA 7810, and the Anti-trafficking in Persons Act of 2000, which are pending before the courts.
Dela Rey said the targeted locations included the main compound beside Davao International Airport, the Prayer Mountain in Tamayong, the Glory Mountain in Purok 6, the QSands Baptismal resort in the Island Garden City of Samal, and the Kitbog compound in Malungon Sarangani.
Warrants served
Fuentes, in a phone interview with SMNI News, also confirmed that the warrants of arrest against the pastor and five other people were served.
“Na search na po ang bible school and Jose Maria college and Kingdom. Ngayon, there is one area in the hangar and will be there a little while,” Atty Fuentes said.
“Actually, they are doing this in a very orderly manner wala naman any untoward incidents and so far very peaceful and very fast,” She said.
“The kingdom members were cooperating and they opened all the doors that the police asked them to open where there are CIDG police together with their legal team,” she added.
She said there were 16 officials who searched the JMC, another 16 who searched the bible school, 16 who searched the Kingdom, and 16 in the hangar.
But the lawyer said the police wearing full battle gear was not normal procedure in serving a warrant. However, she was thankful that “cooler heads prevailed.”
No search warrant
Lawyer Israelito Torreon, representing the KJC, claimed the police did not have a search warrant for the Glory Mountain raid and that using makeshift stairs and forcible entry at around 3:30 a.m. was unnecessary.
Two KOJC members were reportedly injured during the raid at Glory Mountain. But police have yet to confirm the report.
He also said that a bullet was found in a restroom at Prayer Mountain, confusing KJC members. The bullet was later determined to have been accidentally dropped.
Torreon was surprised upon learning that the raiding team only had an arrest warrant, not a search warrant. Without the document, the police had no right to use the stairs or enter the premises.
“I was shocked because my phone kept buzzing early in the morning, and I had to rush here. Upon arrival, I asked the CIDG representative and their lawyer if they had a search warrant. They said they only had an arrest warrant,” Torreon explained.
“If you don’t have a search warrant, you have no right to use the stairs or enter our premises,” Torreon stressed.
PRO XI gate closed
On the other hand, the gate of the Police Regional Office XI was closed when reporters were about to enter the compound for an interview after the simultaneous operations. Dela Rey explained that it was only a security procedure.
“But definitely, if they want to enter they could introduce themselves and in fact, the other media who want to enter were able to enter inside and conduct an interview,” she added
She said the PNP is dedicated to ensuring that no law violator is beyond the reach of the long arm of the law.
“The primary goal is to enforce the law while ensuring the safety and rights of all citizens, especially the Filipino people,” she added.
The Police Regional Office XI said supporters and followers of KOJC are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the ongoing implementation of court processes.
She further said the manhunt continues until they can locate and arrest Pastor Quiboloy and five others.
