đź“· Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte | Philippine News Agency
THE main man believed to be behind thousands of extrajudicial killings during his administration is now planning to sue the same bunch of law enforcers for what appears to be a tamer act – trying to serve an arrest warrant against his fugitive friend.
According to former President Rodrigo Duterte, in his capacity as the designated administrator of all properties believed to be owned by his longtime friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, will file charges against the policemen for “blind obedience.”
He particularly cited members of the Philippine National Police – Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), who raided several properties owned by KOJC in Davao City, Samal Island, and Sarangani to serve an arrest warrant to the controversial televangelist.
Describing the raid as an overkill, the former President said such actions “cannot go unpunished,” even as he claimed that the law enforcers did not even bother to present any search warrant in swooping down Quiboloy’s properties.
“I have ordered not only the preparation of affidavits of all members aggrieved and traumatized by the said unfortunate incident but also an inventory of church properties destroyed as a consequence,” Duterte said.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am constrained to take action against all those responsible for the coordinated but illegal raid. Notwithstanding my personal convictions, the law must be upheld,” he added.
“Let this be a warning and a lesson for all those who follow and implement illegal and unlawful orders that there are grave consequences for blind obedience.”
The 74-year old Quiboloy is facing criminal charges which include child prostitution, sexual abuse, and acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty or exploitation – on top of the sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling in the United States for which he landed in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted List .
He added that the most recent move to “besmirch” Quiboloy “sent the wrong signal that this country has become a police state with no respect for the law and religious institutions.”
Interestingly, during Duterte’s tenure as Philippine President, warrants were rarely served as cops were ordered to “kill, kill, kill” drug suspects.
Under such an order, the death toll rose to thousands – over 30,000 as per estimate of human rights groups.
Just like his televangelist friend, Duterte himself is also facing possible arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
