Saga tarnishes PNP’s image
“The task of arresting ACQ was given to Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III of the Philippine National Police. To serve the warrant of arrest the PNP fielded two battalions of a fully armed Special Action Force.
Daily Tribune“The task of arresting ACQ was given to Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III of the Philippine National Police. To serve the warrant of arrest the PNP fielded two battalions of a fully armed Special Action Force.
The biggest victim since the Philippine National Police siege of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC), aside from its members, was the truth. Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy was subjected to vilification in the kangaroo court of the Senate.
Across the Pacific, the evangelist is facing a number of mostly trumped-up charges that were filed by church members who fled the country when their nefarious activities were unearthed in a pre-audit of church donations and corporate finances.
To obtain asylum they told their twisted narratives which were music to the FBI. They were given asylum all right and a dollar stipend courtesy of the American taxpayers.
Remember the US of A, under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, had no love for former President Rodrigo Duterte, and woe to the people who are perceived to be his intimate friends who must suffer the consequences. Pastor Apollo is a classic example.
Pastor Apollo and his four co-accused went into hiding for fear that he would be rendered to the US authorities. If we go by recent statements, it can be assumed that the order to arrest him came from no less than President Marcos himself and was implemented by Secretary Benhur Abalos of the Department of the Interior and Local Government through the Philippine National Police.
With Marcos perceived to be cozy with Biden, you cannot blame Quiboloy for his apprehension he will be rendered to the US authorities. The task of arresting ACQ was given to Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III of the Philippine National Police. To serve the warrant of arrest the PNP fielded two battalions of a fully armed Special Action Force.
Over two weeks ago, a more than 1,000 augmentation force was added to serve the warrant. General Torre himself led the assault, dispersing church members who had formed a human shield before the gates of the KoJC compound. But they were no match for the policemen in full battle gear, armed with assault rifles, smoke grenades, tear gas bombs and pepper spray.
As seen on TV and online video clips, General Torre was allowed entry by KoJC lawyer, Israelito Torreon, who is also the dean of the College of Law of Jose Maria College. A few minutes after Torre’s troops entered through the gate, another group of raiders broke through the south perimeter wall of the compound hurling tear gas at the kingdom workers and in the process killing one and injuring 16 others.
Very quickly Torre and thousands of his men were in control of the Kingdom, once a place of peace and worship. A reward of P10 million was at stake for the arrest of Pastor Apollo.
Outside, at the main gates facing the national highway, anti-riot police formed a line across the street and effectively closed the segment of the highway from the exit gate of the Davao International Airport down to the Panacan crossing.
Davao City was in a state of chaos and confusion. Flights were delayed and visitors were stunned to see so many soldiers.
Social media came out with minute-by-minute accounts of the siege which mainstream media had kept from the public.
Despite the melee, PNP propagandists were quick to announce that KoJC members had barricaded the national highway and several policemen were hurt. The videos and pictures, however, did not lie.
In Malacañang, President Marcos declared that not a single policeman had entered the KoJC compound with guns or tear gas. It was to be the biggest lie while the siege was in progress. The President was being fed the wrong information; he was simply clueless.
Police searched, without a search warrant, every nook and corner of each building in the compound.
The living quarters of women missionaries were not spared and guards were posted in the buildings. They desecrated the KoJC cathedral.
Later, General Torre ordered the excavation of the JMC basement, claiming detection instruments had heard heartbeats underground. This was shown on social media, but the PNP debunked this, with Torre saying that what was shown on social media was photoshopped. This barefaced lie was disproven when three days prior to the Senate’s ocular inspection, Torre had the hole covered but the concrete had not completely dried. There were also bags of cement left in the area.
On the day Pastor Apollo surrendered to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), General Torre did not have an inkling of what was taking place. The details from both the ISAFP and Quiboloy’s lawyers were that the pastor had come out of his hideout in North Cotabato, arrived in Davao City, then went to the old airport where he boarded the military’s C130 plane to Manila.
When DILG Secretary Abalos learned of the development he hurriedly went to the press to announce that Quiboloy had been arrested by General Torre’s men. Abalos and Torre quickly came out with a tapestry of tales to vainly prove that it was they who had arrested Quiboloy.
The surrender of Pastor Apollo to the Army instead of the PNP demonstrates the diminishing trust and confidence in the police, especially in the Davao Region.
When President Marcos realizes he was made a fool of, at the very least he should kick out Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III and give Abalos a browbeating. And then rectify the lies.