CHR confirms civil rights violations in KoJC raid

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Tuesday that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has committed civil rights violations in its ongoing raid on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) compound in Davao City to serve the arrest warrant against fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy.

At the commission’s budget hearing on Tuesday before the House Committee on Appropriations, CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc said that they sent out at least three investigators from their regional office to look into the incidents concerning the KoJC raid as early as 1 September.

He stated that preliminary findings revealed that there was a breach of the civil and political rights of the KoJC members perpetrated by the PNP in their pursuit of arresting the religious group’s leader, Quiboloy, who is facing child and sexual abuse and human trafficking charges.

“I agree with you that there are several rights that may be involved here. One of which is, as you mentioned, the religious freedom of the KoJC members,” Palpal-latoc told the Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta

“And there may be other civil liberties that may be affected, your honor,” he added.

Marcoleta lamented that the CHR should have at least employed its investigators prior to the raid so that possible human rights violations could have been prevented.

“Considering, Madam Chair, that it is a religious denomination, I would surmise that worship services were interrupted. Some activities connected with their religious belief might have been interrupted. And these are serious violations of their political [and] civil rights,” Marcoleta stressed.

Palpal-latoc, however, countered that while their investigators have a say in the state actors, they do not have the authority over the police and restrain them from doing the search operations.

The PNP is keen to carry on with its exhaustive manhunt operation against Quiboloy and his cohorts facing the same raps despite numerous unsuccessful attempts.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo disclosed on Monday that they obtained “valuable information” that the embattled pastor is hiding in an underground facility at the KoJC compound and that they are already close to capturing him.

Palpal-latoc said that there has been an ongoing investigation and close monitoring by the CHR to further prevent the occurrence of the said violations.

However, Marcoleta responded, “Investigating and monitoring, Mr. chair, is not good enough considering the unfolding of events in several days and continuing up to today.”

“I think CHR should do something because we need to protect them. Protecting their human rights is at the center of the function of CHR,” he pointed out.

To recall, a 50-year-old male KoJC member died from a heart attack in the middle of the search operation, which was spearheaded by around 2,000 PNP personnel.

Palpal-latoc is receptive to the idea put forward by Marcoleta but said that the investigation must be concluded first before the CHR acts on the situation and performs whatever is necessary.

According to the CHR chief, the probe would include identifying the number of persons and their acts, the damages they suffered, as well as the number of acts that constituted violations of their civil and political rights.

Marcoleta, meanwhile, demanded that the CHR furnish the House of Representatives with a copy of the report “so that probably even Congress can act on it and do something about it.”

“I’m sorry for being insistent but this is a violation of civil and political rights. You need to protect people,” Marcoleta averred.

Palpal-latoc countered that their regional office had already submitted a few recommendations on the human rights issue involved but they still needed to wrap up the investigation.

Around 50 percent of the 30-hectare compound had already been inspected by the PNP. Fajardo said that they could not enter some buildings because KoJC members were blocking the cops from entering the remaining gates in the compound.