‘Bato’ says Senate investigation on police ops at KOJC free from political bias
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 Sept)—Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said that the Senate investigation conducted last Sept. 7 regarding the operations of the police to arrest Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound was free from political bias.
During a press conference streamed live over his Facebook page on Wednesday, Dela Rosa was reacting to the statements of some members of the House of Representatives that he and Vice President Sara Z. Duterte could be charged with obstruction of justice, and former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in his capacity as administrator of KOJC properties, for “harboring” Quiboloy, KOJC founder and self-appointed “son of God.”
Dela Rosa urged the lawmakers to study the provisions of the law penalizing obstruction of justice if they could be held liable for the crime.
“I wonder why President Duterte, Vice President Sara, and I have to be investigated for obstruction of justice,” he said in Tagalog.
Dela Rosa, chair of the “Subcommittee on the Privilege Speech on the PNP Operation in the KOJC” under the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said that the investigation was conducted to help ease the suffering of KOJC members due to the prolonged police operations, where one KOJC member died on Aug. 24 due to cardiac arrest.
He said he also wanted students to be able to attend classes at Jose Maria College and allow KOJC members to freely exercise their constitutional right to religious freedom.
“I feel pity for these congressmen because they are always thinking about politics. They have forgotten their duty to their fellow human beings. They did not even consider why we conducted this investigation. We wanted to help alleviate the suffering of the people there, help the students return to school, and restore practice of their religion,” he said in Tagalog.
During the investigation, Dela Rosa appealed to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to restore normalcy at the KOJC compound amid the ongoing tension between the followers of Quiboloy and law enforcers and urged Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Police Regional Office – 11, to consider a “tactical retreat” after failing to arrest Quiboloy.
On Sunday, or two days after the Senate investigation, Quiboloy and four of his co-accused—Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes—were arrested by authorities inside the KOJC compound. Another co-accused, Paulene Canada, earlier arrested last July 11 at her residence in Emily Homes Subdivision in Barangay Cabantian here.
Torre said Quiboloy was hiding at the ACQ College of Ministry, a bible school inside the sprawling KOJC compound, before his arrest Sunday after months in hiding.
He said that Quiboloy was taken from the compound and boarded one of the vehicles escorted by the PNP’s Aviation Security Group to the airport.
Quiboloy was brought to Manila via a C-130 plane, which earlier landed at the Tactical Operations Group (TOG)-Davao at the Old Airport in Sasa located near the KOJC compound.
He is facing charges of child abuse and qualified human trafficking, along with his co-accused.
The suspects have two warrants of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Davao City and the RTC in Pasig City in April this year.
Last May 28, the Supreme Court’s Second Division ordered the transfer of the two criminal cases from the RTC in Davao to the RTC in Quezon City.
The Senate also ordered the arrest of Quiboloy last March 19 after he was cited in contempt for continuously defying its order to appear in the investigations of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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