Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte took turns over the weekend condemning the actions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) over an attempt to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on Saturday.

Duterte and his daughter described the incident as a tragic and blatant violation of constitutional rights, with the former saying the Philippines “has never been in a more tragic state” than “it is today.”

“Rights have been trampled upon and our laws derided,” he said in a statement late Saturday night, criticizing the deployment of thousands of police officers to serve an arrest warrant at the KoJC compound in Davao City.

Duterte claimed that the police forced their way into the compound, leading to a “violent confrontation” that resulted in the death of one KoJC member from reported heart attack and left many others needing immediate medical attention.

“We sympathize with the members of the KoJC for having become victims of political harassment, persecution, violence, and abuse of authority,” Mr. Duterte said, depicting the operation as “a dark stain on the hands of those involved,” including the region’s top police official, led by P/Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III.

The former president urged the remaining “decent and patriotic members” of the government to resist being used for “abusive and violent” enforcement of illegal orders.

He also called on Filipinos, regardless of political beliefs, to pray for peace and justice and to help prevent further tension caused by “the reign of fear and terror by people sworn to uphold the law and protect the citizens.”

Likewise, he questioned the government’s ability to guarantee constitutional rights when “even the most fundamental of these rights are being blatantly violated.”

Sara, too

The Vice President, on the other hand, also condemned the police’s alleged “use of violence” in serving the warrant against Quiboloy and others inside the KoJC compound.

“I vehemently condemn the gross abuse of police power in the takeover of the KoJC compound, which led to the harassment of religious worshippers, the abuse of minors, and the unnecessary loss of life,” she said in a statement issued Sunday morning.

She described the actions as a “blatant violation of constitutionally protected rights” and a “betrayal of the trust” placed in the police by Filipinos.

While she clarified that she is not against enforcing arrest warrants when done legally, she stated that “the use of force against innocent citizens and devotees of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is not acceptable.”

The KoJC leader is known to be a close ally and friend of the Dutertes. “I couldn’t help but ask myself if the use of extraordinary forces and unfair abuse to ordinary Filipinos to implement such a warrant of arrest because the accused is a known Duterte supporter,” she said.

Sara Duterte also asked for forgiveness from KoJC members and devotees, “for encouraging you to vote for Bongbong Marcos Jr. in the 2022 elections. May you forgive me.”

Former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo echoed the Dutertes’ criticism, describing the police actions as the latest assault against KoJC members. He condemned the police for destroying the compound gates and using tear gas, which he said caused injuries to KoJC members.

“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 the 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,” Panelo said.

Panelo urged President Marcos Jr. to intervene in what he described as an “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 added.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, for his part, expressed deep concern and called for accountability on the KoJC raid.

Go extended his heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the incident.

The senator emphasized that while he understands the necessity of law enforcement operations, the use of excessive force and resulting harm to civilians are unacceptable.