MANILA, Philippines (Updated Aug. 28, 2024; 3:12 p.m.)— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said that there is no overkill or excessive use of force in the police operation to serve the warrant of arrest against fugitive doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy.
Marcos said that the number of policemen involved in the raid was justified considering that the Quiboloy-owned Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound spanned 30 hectares.
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“You can't do this with just a dozen police officers... for something like inspecting 30 hectares, you need a lot of people,” Marcos said in Filipino in an interview with the members of the press.
On Saturday, the Philippine National Police Regional Office 11 served the arrest warrant inside the KOJC compound and searched for the fugitive preacher for abuse and trafficking charges.
The police command utilized 2,000 of its personnel and entered the compound which also resulted in the rescue of two individuals who were allegedly trafficking victims.
The PNP also discovered multiple heartbeats through its equipment in a supposed bunker inside the KOJC compound where they believe Quiboloy is hiding.
Marcos said the police operated within its boundaries and did not commit any human rights violations, contrary to the claims of Quiboloy’s supporters.
"Are there human rights violations if there are several cops? I don't think so," Marcos said in mix English and Filipino.
“All the police officers who entered were unarmed. Not a single one had a gun... we didn’t use tear gas either.,” he also said in Filipino.
On Tuesday, the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 15 issued a temporary protection order on KOJC and Jose Maria College Foundation Inc., ordering the police to remove the barriers, blockades and barricades that bar access to the compound.
Quiboloy has been at large since April 2024 after being charged for child and sexual abuse. He also has a warrant for qualified trafficking in persons issued by a court in Pasig City.
Aside from local courts, Quiboloy also has remaining warrants in the United States for bulk cash smuggling, trafficking and sex trafficking.