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Respect for human rights must be priority in search for fugitive Quiboloy — advocate

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Jonathan Frederic De Santos

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Philippine National Police is enforcing a legitimate warrant in its operations at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City, a human rights advocate said, but authorities must observe maximum tolerance and ensure that human rights are not violated, a human rights advocate said.</p><p>The PNP on Monday afternoon gave KOJC members massed up at the compound in the Buhangin area of Davao City an ultimatum to disperse and videos from the scene showed police making arrests.</p><p>Police began search operations of fugitive Apollo Quiboloy&#x27;s compound early Saturday morning. </p><p>Quiboloy supporters and KOJC members over the weekend alleged excessive force and manpower — around 2,000 police officers — in the search of the sprawling KOJC compound.</p><p>&quot;The authorities are enforcing a legitimate warrant so it all boils down to how they do it,&quot; Carlos Conde, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch said.</p><p>&quot;It is clearly a tense situation and the law enforcers need to observe maximum tolerance because this can get out of hand pretty quickly and real bad,&quot; he also said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/26/palace-the-law-must-take-its-course-in-cases-vs-quiboloy-1203">READ: &#x27;The law must take its course&#x27; in cases vs Quiboloy — Palace</a></div><div><strong>FORMER PRESIDENT DUTERTE INVOKES HUMAN RIGHTS</strong></div><p>Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte have both condemned the PNP&#x27;s operation against their political ally, with the elder Duterte claiming the Philippines &quot;has never been in a more tragic state&quot; where &quot;rights have been trampled upon and our laws, derided.&quot;</p><p>Vice President Duterte called the operation a &quot;gross abuse of police power...which led to the harassment of religious worshipers, the abuse of minors, and the unnecessary loss of life,&quot; referring to a<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/8/24/quiboloy-follower-dead-from-cardiac-arrest-as-pnp-searches-kojc-compound-anew-1126"> 50-year-old follower of Quiboloy who died of a heart attack on Saturday</a>.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/8/25/pnp-says-2-possible-trafficking-victims-rescued-from-quiboloy-compound-1620">RELATED: PNP says 2 possible trafficking victims rescued from Quiboloy compound<br/></a></div><p>The Dutertes&#x27; reference to human rights was met with derision from critics — including former Sen. Leila De Lima, a former Human Rights Commission chair and whom the Duterte administration detained on drug cases that have all since been dismissed.</p><p>&quot;At sa&#x27;yo pa talaga nanggaling ito? Kapal ng mukha! Bakit hindi ka na lang tumulong sa mga awtoridad?!&quot; De Lima said in reaction to former president Duterte&#x27;s statement on the KOJC operation.</p><p>(And this is a comment coming from you? How arrogant. Why don&#x27;t you just help the authorities?!)</p><p>But, Conde said Monday that human rights should apply regardless of politics and beliefs.</p><p>&quot;We may not agree with KOJC, especially because of its own questionable conduct in the past,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;But they have rights and that should be paramount and ensuring that those rights are respected should be paramount.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/23/another-activist-files-complaint-vs-badoy-celis-over-red-tagging">RELATED: Another activist files complaint vs Badoy, Celis over red tagging</a></div><p>He said that while the invocation of human rights by personalities who previously played them down may be done &quot;in a cynical and self-serving way,&quot; that does not make it invalid.</p><p>&quot;If anything, this shows just how important it is for human right to apply to everybody, regardless of past transgressions or shortcomings,&quot; Conde, who has been targeted by broadcast personalities of KOJC-affiliated Sonshine Media Network International in the past, said.</p><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important;--darkreader-inline-color:#bfb9b1;--darkreader-inline-bgcolor:#181a1b">&quot;The thing with human rights is that it necessarily forces one to take the moral high ground,&quot; he said.</span></div><div><span id="isPasted"><strong>IBP DAVAO CALLS FOR SOBRIETY</strong></span><strong><br/></strong></div><p>The Integrated Bar of the Philippines chapter in Davao City on Sunday called for sobriety and for respect for the rule of law from both the police and from KOJC members.</p><p>It affirmed that the PNP has the authority to implement warrants as ordered by the courts, saying also that <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/8/25/ibp-davao-city-calls-for-sobriety-respect-for-rule-of-law-in-ongoing-search-for-quiboloy-1433">&quot;there are…limits imposed by the law on what can, and should be done, in the exercise of duty and authority.&quot;</a></p><p>It said that while law enforcement can enter a place &quot;and even break into such a place if refused admittance after announcing their authority and intention&quot; but are not authorized to occupy the premises nor to bar the entry and exit of &quot;any lawful occupant thereof.&quot;</p><p>It also reminded KOJC members of their duty to allow law enforcers to do their jobs and warned of legal liability for those who try to obstruct justice or commit acts of violence.</p><p>&quot;The subjects of any warrant are also duty bound to abide by the orders of our courts and thus, should surrender peacefully so that our judicial system can perform its function, and the judicial process can be applied in the course of the law,&quot; IBP-Davao City also said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWpVnYz0jvE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>"It is clearly a tense situation and the law enforcers need to observe maximum tolerance because this can get out of hand pretty quickly and real bad," Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde said.</p>

"It is clearly a tense situation and the law enforcers need to observe maximum tolerance because this can get out of hand pretty quickly and real bad," Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde said.