KINGDOM of Jesus Christ legal counsel Israelito Torreon alleged that PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil and PRO XI Director Nicolas Torre III planned to blast open a suspected bunker located beside the elevator of the JMC Law School.
The police officials believed that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy may be hiding there.
“They are planning to bomb the area because they think there is a bunker where Pastor Apollo Quiboloy might be hiding. We hope they do not proceed with this plan. Three days ago, they showed us only one arrest warrant, which was for Sylvia Cemanes.”
The address on the warrant is in Pasig City. Under Rule 113 of the Rules of Court, if the address on the arrest warrant is not related to the property owned by another entity, it does not authorize a search of that property.
“This is the first time we have seen such an unprecedented use of an arrest warrant to conduct a broad search and destroy property belonging to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ,” Torreon said.
“This is a severe violation of the human rights of KOJC members who own the property. We urge the President of the Republic of the Philippines to stop this illegal operation. We demand that the Philippine National Police cease this operation, as they cannot use Section 17C of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act to justify their actions. The arrest warrant served did not authorize a search of the KOJC properties.”
“Under the Constitution, an arrest warrant cannot be used to search all KOJC properties. There is no legal basis for this. Arrest warrants are directed at individuals, not properties.”
“Search warrants, when served, require witnesses under the Rules of Court. In contrast, the arrest warrants served were very disorderly, with almost no witnesses present.
Now, they have installed bombs in one section of the JMC compound, prohibiting anyone from entering, supposedly to destroy the bunker.
However, their heart detector did not detect anything. We encourage the PNP to cease and desist from this illegal operation. We hope General Marbil and General Torre reconsider and stop this operation immediately.”
“We request Mayor Sebastian Duterte to invoke his powers under Section 17 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines for the general welfare,” he said.
The Local Government Code requires consultation and coordination with the local government unit. Therefore, we also request Mayor Baste Duterte to immediately convene a Local Peace and Order Council meeting and require General Marbil and General Torre to appear in the meeting.”
“To explain their actions concerning the KOJC compound, and if the Peace and Order Committee finds these actions irregular or illegal, they should issue a resolution requiring the PNP to leave the KOJC premises. If necessary, they could cordon off our facility if they believe Pastor Apollo Quiboloy is present, even though we believe he is not.”
“We earnestly request Mayor Baste Duterte to convene the Local Peace and Order Council immediately, require General Marbil and General Torre to explain their actions and issue a resolution asserting his authority as the local chief executive to order the PNP to leave the premises. This will help diffuse the tension, especially with classes starting tomorrow.”
“How will our students be able to access our beloved institution?” Torreon said.
“We also request the City Council of Davao to convene an emergency session and, with the utmost respect, issue a resolution condemning the PNP’s actions within the KOJC premises.
“If necessary, the City Council should require the PNP to leave, as their operations in service of the arrest warrant have become clearly and blatantly illegal. The PNP should be directed not to bomb any part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ premises,” he added.
