Duterte coddling fugitive?

BY his own admission, former President Rodrigo Duterte is dangerously playing with fire.

According to Duterte, he knows exactly where his friend — fugitive Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy — is hiding.

He however stood firm against the idea of telling where the controversial televangelist is hiding.

“If the question is, ‘Where is pastor?’ I know where, but it’s a secret,” a sarcastic Duterte told reporters in Tacloban City.

Duterte, administrator of KOJC properties, said Quiboloy, who has standing arrest warrants for sexual and child abuse and human trafficking cases, does not want to surrender.

“He does not want to surrender. So, don’t surrender,” the former President added.

Meanwhile a lawyer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Duterte could be criminally liable if he is harboring a fugitive.

Under Philippine jurisprudence, the act of harboring a criminal is considered an offense against public order and safety.

It undermines the administration of justice and obstructs the efforts of law enforcement agencies in apprehending and prosecuting offenders.

For months, government law enforcement agencies tasked to serve the warrants of arrest, have been searching for Quiboloy in properties believed to be his.

However, all efforts fell short amid resistance from KOJC members who went as far as barricading secluded compounds being administered by Duterte.

In one instance, the police were compelled to arrest Quiboloy supporters who were charged for obstruction of justice for which Duterte assailed the government behind what he described as an overkill.