A POST ON Facebook made yesterday by retired Regional State Prosecutor Lawyer Antonio Arellano, now dean of the College of Law of the University of Mindanao (UM) is worth every lawyer’s read especially those who are serving as Counsel of beleaguered Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church (KOJC). Dean Tony quoted a portion of the ruling by the US Supreme Court in the case “Walker vs. City of Birmingham (388 U.S. 307 (1967).
We do not want to print verbatim the Law Dean’s post for lack of permission. But we feel it is significant in the light of the controversy generated by the continued dodging of the law by the Religious leader who is now the subject of a massive manhunt by the police.
The Pastor’s lawyers appear to be tolerating the defiance of the sect leader by contending that the arrest orders issued by the courts are “invalid” and part of some political persecution.
It is our take that by reading the Arellano post legal practitioners and even laymen who are basically hooked to news sources nowadays because of the Quiboloy saga can further enhance their knowledge of the law or for the laymen to be more discerning on the issues attendant to the Quiboloy cases.
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Here is another development on the massive search of the fugitive KOJC Pastor. This latest twist is the alleged plan of the Police to destroy the KOJC Cathedral just to be able to locate the underground bunker that the Pastor might be hiding. This plan supposedly by the law enforcement group under the command of Police Region XI director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III was disclosed to the public by no less than the lead lawyer of the Quiboloy defense team. In fact this alleged plan is the basis of lawyer Israelito Torreon’s commitment to surrender his license as a lawyer if the Supreme Court will issue an order authorizing the destruction of a building just to allow the police to arrest the accused-in-hiding.
The questions that need to be satisfactorily answered is whether or not it is really true that Brig. Gen. Torre indeed made such a plan and inform lawyer Torreon about it? Or is it possible that the alleged plan is just a concoction by the camp of the fugitive Church leader to further enhance his “the victim’ image in the cases he is now facing?
If indeed the plan destruction of the KOJC Cathedral was “floated” by the General himself, then he is bringing his psy war tactic to the level of insanity. We are not in a state of war; not with any foreign country; not even with our own people. The government is only looking for one single person who is considered significant because of his status. The rest of the wanted individuals are not even worth the tracking if not for their personal connection with the Pastor.
The most that the Police could have done was first to seek advice from legal luminaries serving the organization to find out the possibility of acquiring authority to destroy a property to successfully arrest a fugitive. And if they succeed in getting a Court order that should have been the appropriate time to announce that they can go to the extent of destroying a building just to expose an alleged bunker and draw out the escapee hiding in such an impenetrable hole.
Besides, with the policemen’s enormous number they certainly can cover every inch of space in all the structures inside the 30-hectare compound. Thus, it is impossible for them not to find holes that serve as entries or exits of the bunker. Without such holes how can the Pastor and his fellow accused get into the bunker? And assuming that with the power of being the “appointed” son of God he can use his body to drill a hole towards the bunker for him and his companion to get in, how could they have survived without air or oxygen? Common sense, is it not? Unless the police leadership does not have one.
Of course we cannot also discount the possibility that floating the cathedral destruction plan could have also been done by the camp of the accused. Let us not forget that they need as much attention as possible as this could gain them sympathizers for their cause.
Yes, by floating an alleged plan to destroy a property or building the religious sect holds so sacred being the symbol of the Church existence, will definitely create a ripple effect to the other religious groups including the majority Roman Catholics. That is, if such sacrilegious act can be done to one sect then it can be done to others as well when anyone of their top leaders happen to have major brushes with the law.
Anyhow, the outcome of this reported plan to destroy a house of worship just to let out some fugitives reportedly holed up in a bunker suspected to be underneath the structure is worth watching. Will the police even attempt to get an order from the High Court; or will the latter issue one?
And, will lawyer Torreon surrender his law license if the Supreme Court will dare immerse itself in a sure major legal controversy? “Let us to see/” (Atong tan-awon.)
