Former President Rodrigo Duterte lambasted the police actions on Saturday in an attempt to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, saying the Philippines “has never been in a more tragic state" than "it is today.”

“Rights have been trampled upon and our laws, derided,” Duterte said in a statement late Saturday night. 

Duterte criticized the Philippine National Police to deploy thousands of cops just to serve an arrest warrant against Quiboloy in a KOJC compound in Davao City. 

He said cops forced their way into the compound “which resulted in a violent confrontation and the unfortunate death of one KOJC member and the requiring of immediate medical attention of many others.”

We sympathize with the members of the KoJC for having become victims of political harassment, persecution, violence, and abuse of authority, he added. 

Duterte said the police raid “certainly puts a dark stain on the hands of those involved in today's incident, led by no less than the top police official of the region.”

“We call on the remaining decent and patriotic members of our government not to allow themselves to be used and to be abusive and violent in enforcing illegal orders,” he urged. 

Duterte also called on “all Filipinos, regardless of political persuasion, to offer prayers for  peace and justice, and to spare our people of the unwarranted tension brought about by the reign of fear and terror by people sworn to uphold the law and protect the citizens of this country.”

He then criticized the government’s capability to guarantee the preservation of the constitutional rights of Filipinos “when even the most fundamental of these rights are being blatantly violated.”

PBBM must intervene—Panelo

Meanwhile, former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo characterized the police actions as the latest assault against KOJC members. 

Panelo also criticized the police for destroying the compound gates and bombing tear gas, which he said caused injuries and harm to the KOJC residing in the area. 

“Despite the fact the warrant servers were allowed entry to the main entrance of the KOJC, their comrades were destroying the back door gate leading to the private hangar of KOJC, throwing tear gas bombs at the KOJC members who were roused from their sleep causing eye injuries and abrasions to them as they [scampered] to safety,” he said. 

Panelo said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “must intervene” on what he described as “ongoing monstrous irregularity and illegality” in the country’s police operations. 

“The PNP is tasked to enforce the law, not to violate it, to protect the people, not scare them, to shield the citizenry from criminal violence, not to inflict it on them,” he said.