How’s the call for People Power by some leading members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church? Did the multitude of Davaoenos respond and join the religious group’s members who had been occupying for their use a stretch of the C.P. Garcia Diversion Highway specifically in front of the KOJC’s main headquarters?
Yes, their move is in the exercise of their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of assembly and expression. They are now on the fourth day of their mass action cum Prayer-Rally. But it is apparent that no one from among those providing legal and other advice to their now fugitive Founder-Pastor and those who are calling the shots on the ground, that their exercise of such freedom should have ended by the time that the rights of others begin. Meaning the assembled members of the KOJC should have vacated the highway and moved to the sidewalks and allowed the motorists to exercise their own rights to use the road.
Yes, they should not have waited for the police to drive them to the roadside, an act they complained was a violation of their freedom of assembly and abuse of power.
Meanwhile, we have noted that the number of people who are still in the rally seems not to increase despite the call for support. Why is this so? Why is it that the Davaoenos appear hesitant on responding to the call? We believe the reason is too obvious. Perhaps they know that if they respond to the call and join the so-called “People Power” they will be allowing themselves as instruments in upholding a cause that does not benefit the majority.
On the other hand there are those who argue that the people converging at the perimeter of the KOJC main headquarters could not be considered as a shield to the beleaguered Pastor. Their reason is that the presence of the person subject to the arrest warrants is not certain. They argued that in such a case who then could they be shielding?
Our take is that there are two possibilities here. One is that the leaders of the KOJC members doing the barricade could be right – that the Pastor is not hiding in any of the facilities inside the compound. In other words the police is not correct in its assumption of the fugitive’s presence in the compound.
The other possibility is that they could be doing one effective diversionary tactic in order to waylay the law enforcers from locating the exact hiding place of the Pastor. And they allow politics to be laced on the legal problems their overlord is facing alleging that the Pastor is persecuted by the incumbent President for some reasons or another.
Assuming that after some days of calling for a People Power the KOJC will be able to gather a substantial number, what will they be going to do? Will they take the boats and airplanes and go to Manila and “storm” Malacanang to force the ouster of the President? And assuming further that they will be successful in unseating the President, who will they install as his replacement?
And again if the KOJC’s call will gather its desired number and decide not to go to Manila and storm Malacanang will they establish another government based in Davao City? Then that would be bedlam!
Frankly, we have no idea why the KOJC leaders and members have gone to that extent. Nowhere in the Bible, the source of the teachings they are supposed to be following, can we find a situation where Jesus called on his followers to go against the duly constituted authorities during those times.
On the other hand if the police is certain that their quarry is indeed holed up inside some bunkers under the grounds of the KOJC compound, why float the idea of blasting a section to force open the entrance of the alleged bunker? Why will the police not secure permission from the courts to dig the area suspected to be the entrance?
In other words, why should the law enforcers use explosives? Is the entrance cover so thick that it has to be blasted? If the opening of the bunker is so well-sealed there must be some outlets where air can pass or power lines are extended for some blowers to be tapped. Maybe the police need to secure both copies of the building plans and electrical layout for them to study. This could probably lead them to their objective.
They cannot stay there forever. Or else they would just be legitimizing the claim of the Pastor’s lawyer that the law enforcers are taking over the compound including the school buildings.
Meanwhile that the policemen are fixated on the compound as the sanctuary of the Pastor, they need to also fan out to other possible hiding places of the Pastor among which are the exclusive rest houses of some of his friends and supporters.
Who knows the Pastor-in-hiding may just be laughing his heart out witnessing the evolving scenes at his main headquarters.
