Former President Rodrigo Duterte strongly condemned the serving of the arrest warrant conducted by authorities for Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on Monday, June 10.
In a statement on Monday, Duterte said he condemns "the use of excessive and unnecessary force in serving the warrant of arrest for Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy."
Duterte argued that the police officers who raided Quiboloy's compound in Barangay Buhangin, Davao City were not even from Davao City and the incident which occurred within a place of worship and on school premises, is "absolutely unacceptable."
"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?," said Duterte
The former President also criticized the current administration for not upholding the constitutional rights of Filipinos.
"Will they exhibit the same lack of self-restraint they have shown towards critics of this administration when dealing with their supporters?," he added.
"How can this administration guarantee the preservation of the constitutional rights of our fellow Filipinos when even the most fundamental of these rights are being trampled upon and blatantly violated?," he remarked.
The statement came after the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group early on Monday stooped down on Quiboloy's compound to serve an arrest warrant.
Quiboloy and his five co-accused who are facing multiple charges involving its religious group were not found in the area.
The Pastor is facing non-bailable qualified human trafficking charges before a Pasig court and charges under Section 5(b) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and under Section 10(a) of the same act before a Davao court.
