The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has filed sedition and inciting to sedition charges against lawyer Israelito R. Torreon and 11 others for trying to stop the arrest of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) founder Apollo C. Quiboloy.

The charges were filed before the Department of Justice (DoJ) by PNP-CIDG acting chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III.

The others charged were Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) hosts Lorraine Badoy-Partosa and Jeffrey Celis, Eleanor Cardona, Carlo Catil, Kathleen Kaye Laurente, Trinidad S. Arafol, Lord Byron Cristobal, Joey Espina Sun, Esteban C. Lava, Jose A. Lim III, and lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes.

They were charged with violation of Article 139 and Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, for calling on church members to rise against the government to prevent the police from serving arrest warrants on Quiboloy and others.

The complaints were filed after Quiboloy and his four co-accused were arrested on 8 September at the KoJC compound by the PNP led by Torre, who at the time headed the Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao).

“Initially, we alleged in the complaint their action of calling on the people to rise against the government, to prevent the police from serving the warrants of arrest,” he said.

Tensions rose between policemen and KoJC members in August when law enforcers tried to serve the arrest warrants on Quiboloy and the others at the KoJC compound in Davao City.

In September, Quiboloy surrendered to authorities after he was given an ultimatum to turn himself in within 24 hours.