The lawyer representing Apollo Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), has called on the police to “stop their harassment” and vacate the KOJC compound.
Attorney Israelite Torreon, Quiboloy’s legal counsel, stated on Saturday that the arrest warrant against his client does not authorize continuous harassment. “The warrant of arrest is not a license for continuous harassment against the accused. That is our stand,” Torreon said.
Torreon highlighted that the police lacked a search warrant and had only an arrest warrant, questioning the need for their prolonged presence. “They don’t have a search warrant, just an arrest warrant. They’ve been here for over eight hours without locating Pastor Apollo,” he added.
Earlier that day, hundreds of Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel were seen at the entrance of the KOJC compound in Buhangin District, Davao City, attempting to serve the arrest warrant for Quiboloy. He faces charges under Section 5(b) of Republic Act 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, as well as a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208.
In a radio interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Torreon described the PNP’s actions as “very offensive,” noting the large number of armed officers on site. “What PBGen Torre is doing is very offensive. There are 3,000 armed people here; they forced us to open the gate because what could we do? They were fully armed,” Torreon stated.
He emphasized that while the police were allowed to enter the compound to serve the warrant, it does not mean they have the right to stay indefinitely. Torreon also mentioned that he is preparing a demand letter to request the police to leave the premises.
The situation has already resulted in one KOJC member’s death and injuries to 16 others. Despite the tensions, PBGen Torre, leading the police operation, insisted they would not leave the compound until Quiboloy is found and apprehended.
“We want to assure everyone that we want this to end peacefully,” Torre said in response to the harassment claims, adding that they were not conducting a search for objects or items, which would require a search warrant, but were there specifically to arrest Quiboloy. He also noted the challenge of locating Quiboloy within the 42 buildings on the KOJC compound, one of which spans five hectares.