The ugly spectacle of the unconstitutional attack on KOJC continues

DESPITE the issuance of an Amparo Order against the Philippine National Police (PNP) by the Regional Trail Court, Branch 15, Davao City – ordering them to “immediately cease and desist from any act or omission threatening the life, liberty or security as well as the property of the applicants” and to “remove all forms of barricades, barriers or blockades barring access to and from the subject premises and hindering the religious, academic and property rights of the applicants and the exercise thereof by their officers and members within and on the surrounding premises” – the PNP, using legal jargon and twisted logic imposed on it by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Interior (DILG), incredibly, brazenly and unlawfully disregarded the court’s order by remaining on the premises and continuing the siege of the KOJC compound, even increasing the number of policemen from about a thousand to 3,000 drawn from the various PNP regions in Mindanao.

The PNP, DILG and DoJ's justification for the continued presence of the police contingent at the KOJC compound is that the warrant issued by the Davao court cannot override or precede the warrant issued by any other court. They argue that since the warrant does not direct the police to leave the KOJC compound, the police can continue their search for the suspect Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in the execution of the warrant at the religious organization's vast 30-hectare compound.

They maintain that while they will comply with the court's order to remove the barricades, barriers and barriers that hinder entry into and exit from the area in question, they cannot be prevented from enforcing the arrest warrant against the religious leader.

Videos taken by various persons from the KOJC religious community are circulating on social media showing that PNP personnel have not stopped their actions or omissions that threaten the lives, liberty, safety or property of KOJC followers.

These videos show exactly the act or omission that the Amparo Order is intended to prevent being committed by the police, for example:

– The arrival of new police forces, reinforcing the already heavy police presence in the area, further increasing the fear of the KOJC community and reliving the traumatic experiences they have lived through, which resulted in the death of a loved one and the injuries of numerous others.

– Uniformed police groups enter the KOJC buildings with locked and sealed boxes that have not passed through the KOJC security scanner. Whether they contain firearms, explosives or drilling machines, no one knows; the contents are probably intended to be placed there to be later “discovered” and used as evidence of the crime of illegal possession of firearms or explosives, or to use the tools to drill and excavate the earth's interior in search of supposed secret bunkers;

– Dozens of police officers in combat and barricade formation with their wooden batons and shields, which they use to disperse protests;

– Police officers join forces and kick a KOJC member lying on the ground;

– A group of police officers attack a frightened female KOJC member;

– A group of civilians wearing shorts and PNP shirts were allowed entry by the police guards posted at the gate;

– Police officers drill a hole in the ground in one of the buildings;

– Police officers enter the private quarters of female KOJC members without being accompanied by a KOJC officer;

– A policeman urinates in the garden of the KOJC;

– Police officers sleeping on the premises and in the gardens of the KOJC and stacking their firearms nearby;

PNP low-altitude helicopters in KOJC airspace; and

– Assault police teams roam the KOJC compound with automatic rifles.

These acts undoubtedly threaten and violate the rights of KOJC members to life, liberty, security and property.

Due to the unlawful actions of the invading police officers in executing the arrest warrant and prior to the issuance of the temporary protection order, their mere presence and occupation of KOJC property constitutes a violation and threat to the life, liberty and safety of the residents and missionary staff residing therein.

Their occupation of the KOJC violates the privacy of members, prevents them from practicing their religion, disturbs the tranquility of the place, affects the education of students, restricts their freedom of movement and puts them in a constant state of fear.

By ignoring the court order, the PNP becomes a lawbreaker rather than a protector and enforcer of the law.

There is no doubt about the legality of the warrant. The unlawful manner in which the PNP enforced it laid the foundation for the issuance of the warrant.

The President was misinformed about the actual situation in the KOJC. His statement that the police troops did not commit human rights violations and not one of them carried a firearm is far from the truth. The videos showing the assault teams armed with high-powered weapons disprove this claim. It seems that the PNP, DILG and the Department of Justice withheld the truth from the President. They made him seem isolated from reality. They did not tell him that the KOJC had become a veritable war zone.

These constitutional violations must end, otherwise this illegal monster will devour those who created it.