Duterte slams PNP on attempted arrest of Quiboloy
BALAYAN, Batangas – On Tuesday, June 11, Former President Rodrigo Duterte affirms to sue the Philippine National Police (PNP) after the attempted arrest of Apollo Quiboloy on Monday, June 10.
Duterte said that he would take legal and appropriate action against the police. He perceives this as a “day of infamy” to the church’s members and to all citizens who uphold the rule of law.
“While I am saddened by this, given my personal, and in the past, official support for the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, my duties as Administrator of Church Properties demand that I take legal and appropriate action,” he said.
“In line with this, 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,” he added.
Duterte called the raid as an “overkill in any language” and “a clear violation of law” by the PNP – Special Action Force (SAF) and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
He also stated that the raid occurred within a place of worship, deeming it unacceptable
Duterte expresses his disappointment with the current administration. He said that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used Quiboloy as a distraction to the public from other issues.
“Will this overkill be the trademark of this administration when dealing with individuals who are merely accused of committing a crime and have not been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt?” he asked.
“Will they exhibit the same lack of self-restraint they have shown toward critics of this administration when dealing with their supporters?” he added.
Even so, PNP stood firm that the warrant of arrest and the operation were legal.
“The PNP stands by its position that what we have implemented is an arrest warrant validly issued by our courts,” PNP spokesperson Police Col. Jean Fajardo said.
Currently, PNP is inspecting supposed violations during the serving of arrest warrant. Several police personnel and three officials were relieved from their posts. Nine members of CIDG, two from the PNP-SAF, and one from the Traffic Enforcement Unit were also relieved. The identified officials are:
- Police Regional Office 11 Director Police Brig. Gen. Aligre Martinez
- PNP Directorate for Operations head Police Maj. Gen. Ronald Lee
- Intelligence Group Director Police Col. Edwin Portento.
“They were administratively relieved to give way for the investigation that we will conduct to determine if there were lapses, excessive force, or if there was negligence of supervision,” she added.
She said that the investigation would allow the PNP to investigate the events during the attempted arrest of Quiboloy. His attempted arrest was under the charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse.