Leaders of the “Young Guns” in the House of Representatives on Sunday slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for diverting attention from Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s legal issues by apologizing to Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) members for urging them to vote for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2022.
“This is a clear attempt to deflect from the real issue at hand, which is Quiboloy’s refusal to submit to the law. Instead of apologizing for political choices, the Vice President should be focusing on ensuring that her ally faces justice,” said Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun.
For his part, Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V said, “It’s disheartening to see Vice President Duterte try to shift the narrative by invoking her role in the last election. The reality is that this situation is about holding a fugitive accountable for his actions, not about who voted for whom in 2022.”
Khonghun and Ortega also expressed dismay at the Vice President’s statement condemning what she called an “abuse of police power” during the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) operation to serve arrest warrants on Quiboloy and his co-accused for child abuse and human trafficking at the KOJC compound in Davao City.
The lawmakers pointed out that the PNP was executing a legitimate court order, and any attempt to paint this as harassment or abuse is misleading and irresponsible.
“The PNP was simply doing its job by enforcing a valid arrest warrant against Quiboloy and his cohorts, who are facing serious charges,” Ortega said.
He added: “To call this an ‘abuse of power’ is a gross mischaracterization of the situation. The police were acting within the bounds of the law, and any confrontation that ensued was the result of resistance from within the compound, not police overreach.”
Khonghun stressed that the law must be applied equally, regardless of an individual’s connections or influence.
“No one is above the law, and that includes Pastor Quiboloy,” Khonghun said. “The Vice President should be encouraging compliance with legal processes, not undermining them with baseless accusations and apologies that do nothing to address the real issue.”
Ortega urged the Vice President to respect the rule of law and support the PNP in its efforts to uphold justice.
“The law must prevail, and we expect all public officials, including the Vice President, to stand behind our institutions as they work to ensure that justice is served,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manila Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. chastised former President Rodrigo Duterte for citing human rights in his defense of Quiboloy given his conduct on his war on drugs.
“It is ironic that today former President Rodrigo Duterte is speaking out in defense of the rights of his friend, when he attached very little value to human rights during his administration’s war on illegal drugs,” said .
Abante in response to the former president’s statement criticizing the raid on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound by law enforcement agencies enforcing a valid arrest warrant issued against KOJC Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
According to Abante, “the rights of every Filipino should be respected, whether they be pastor or pauper.”
“Perhaps if the former president had emphasized the importance of human rights during his administration, then we would not have to investigate the thousands of extrajudicial killings that occurred during his presidency’s war on drugs.”
The legislator, who is also a pastor, pointed out that it is “a tragic irony” that the statement of the former president “has come out while the Quad Comm probe is investigating the Duterte administration’s drug war that killed thousands of Filipinos, orphaned so many children, and traumatized families.”
Abante likewise stressed that “unlike the victims of the war on drugs, Quiboloy was afforded due process. Not one, but two courts issued warrants of arrest. The police went in to his compound with the end in view of arresting and detaining him. Even now, if he surrenders to authorities, Quiboloy will have his day in court.”
“Unfortunately and tragically, thousands of our kababayan who were slain during the war on drugs were not given the same opportunity.”
Law enforcement operatives swooped down on the KOJC compound to serve a valid arrest warrant against Quiboloy, but the fugitive was never found.
In April, Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 12-Family Court ordered the immediate implementation of an arrest warrant against Quiboloy and five others for child abuse and sexual abuse. In the same month, a regional trial court in Pasig City ordered the arrest of Quiboloy for the non-bailable offense of qualified human trafficking.
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