Police ready 200 cases vs Quiboloy protectors

Davao Police Regional Office director P/Brig. Gen Nicolas Torre III —Germelina Lacorte

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The police in Davao are preparing at least 200 cases of obstruction of justice, disobedience and other violations committed by various personalities here who tried to delay or hamper the arrest of pastor Apollo Quiboloy, including those who knew his whereabouts but concealed him from the police before and during the 16-day police operations.

Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, director of the Davao Police Regional Office (PRO 11), told reporters on Sunday that he would gather all these cases in a command conference he called here on Monday, where he would ask police directors in the region to file as many as 10 cases each against personalities who hampered the police search for the pastor inside his vast Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound here.

Police lawyers also said the cases would also be filed against those who evidently knew the whereabouts of Quiboloy but consciously stalled the police or concealed him from the authorities.

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Quiboloy surfaced on the ground floor of the Bible School Building in the KOJC compound, officially known as the ACQ College of Ministries, a little past 5 p.m. on Sept. 8, the 16th day of the search, just when the police were poised for assault of the building.

KJC lawyers had questioned the police operation every step of the way, which, according to Torre, had made the operation very difficult.

Police lawyers also said they would file separate sedition charges against those who participated in the Aug. 25 blockade of the Carlos P. Garcia highway, or the road that leads to the KJC compound; and separate charges of inciting to sedition against certain personalities, including a retired army general, in another incident.

“I want them (police directors) to report when they were obstructed and who were doing it, I encourage everyone to file the complaint so I will not be the only one filing them,” Torre told a group of journalists on Sunday.

Identification process

Police lawyers said they were still trying to identify the known personalities in these cases, including those responsible for the special permit issued by the mayor’s office for the KJC rally.

The police would be looking into the involvement of city officials in the Aug. 25 blockade of the Carlos P. Garcia highway, he added.

“I’ve already given my men a two-week break; tomorrow at the command conference, I want each of them to file at least 10 cases, I want all those videos taken by the body cameras be reviewed and authenticated and submitted with corresponding affidavits,” Torre said.

“Obstruction of justice, as provided by PD (Presidential Decree) 1829 is a serious offense because it carries along with it the perpetual disqualification from public office,” said Police Col. Joseph Orsos, chief of the Soccsksargen police regional legal office working on the case with the PRO 11 legal office.