THE KINGDOM of Jesus Christ (KOJC) legal counsel claimed on Monday that the police are once again engaging in clear harassment tactics by forcibly opening the Emerald Gate.
KOJC eventually opened the gate after the Police Regional Office XI clarified that it was necessary for their ongoing operation to search for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and four other co-accused individuals.
In a statement to the media, Attorney Israelito Torreon said, “The police are currently engaging in clear harassment tactics by forcibly opening the Emerald Gate, despite having access to Gate 18. They are actually in control of the KOJC compound.”
Torreon further stated, “We have reasons to believe that they are doing this to provoke the members into anger and arrest them, while also gaining unrestricted access to introduce items into the compound without undergoing the scanning process.”
Indeed, less than five minutes after they successfully opened the Emerald Gate, Torreon reported that “they arrested one KOJC member, attempted to arrest Attorney Adrian Pajaro, and then surreptitiously brought boxes of materials into the JMC Basement, a location inaccessible to KOJC lawyers and members.”
He added, “Pray that a miracle will happen and earnestly pray that the mainstream media will finally recognize that a warrant of arrest against Pastor ACQ cannot be used as a justification to summarily and wantonly violate the rights to life, liberty, property, and security of others.”
In a press conference on Monday at Camp Quintin Merecido, Major Catherine Dela Rey, spokesperson for Police Regional Office XI, explained, “We needed to open the gate to allow police officers and KOJC members to freely enter and exit during our operation.”
Dela Rey emphasized, “The gate was not forcibly opened; we requested them to open it peacefully. They understood that if they did not open the gate, they would be charged with obstruction of justice.”
She also denied that the police had total control due to the freeze order, stating, “We couldn’t pass through the other gate, so it is still controlled.”
Dela Rey confirmed that while two gates are now open, police remain stationed on both sides. “We are trying to avoid regrouping, as it disrupts traffic,” she said.
She reassured KOJC members, “Our assurance to the members of the KOJC compound is that we are committed to our duties. For the record, RD did not damage the KOJC gate. We appealed to them to open the gate because we are continuing our warrant of arrest implementation,” Dela Rey added.
“And if they close the gate, it means that anyone inside who refuses to open it can be charged with obstruction of justice. At least now, they understand that we need the gate open,” she concluded.
Photo: Bing Gonzales
