It was a different Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa who presided over a public hearing in Davao City on Sept. 6 regarding the police operation at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound.
The senator reminded the Philippine National Police (PNP) contingent hunting KOJC leader Apollo Quiboloy about their doctrine. “We’re here to save lives, ‘di ba? Meron tayong doktrina sa PNP, regardless kung makalayas ‘yung kriminal, ‘yung suspek, bahala na makalayas ‘yan kesa makapatay tayo, makakitil tayo ng isang buhay.”
(We’re here to save lives, aren’t we? We have a doctrine in the PNP, regardless if the criminal or suspect gets away, come what may, let him go away rather than get him killed, we end a life.)
He had a completely different persona compared to the time when he was director general of the PNP, the chief implementor of then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs that resulted in more than 12,000 deaths of suspected drug personalities.
In fact, the International Criminal Court (ICC) already tagged Dela Rosa last July as a suspect, along with four other past and incumbent PNP officials, for alleged involvement in the drug-related deaths while he was PNP chief.
The prosecutor of The Hague-based tribunal said in a July 3 document that it has found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Dela Rosa and the four other police officials had “concrete involvement” in Duterte’s ruthless anti-drug campaign’s systematic killings.
During the Davao City joint public hearing of the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights, and Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, Dela Rosa repeatedly said he was not siding with either the KOJC or the PNP in the two-week standoff
However, in the course of the hearing that lasted almost seven hours, the senator was constantly reminding the policemen of their obligation to keep law and order and respect human rights and the Constitution in their search for Quiboloy.
Well, it’s not surprising for Dela Rosa to take the side of the self-appointed son of God and owner of the universe. Just last March, the senator described Quiboloy as a “highly respected person.” He even offered to secure the KOJC leader if the latter decides to face the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.
The committee chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros has been investigating the alleged sexual assault, forced labor, exploitation and other human rights violations being hurled at Quiboloy and KOJC. It has cited Quiboloy in contempt for ignoring the subpoena issued by the committee in late February, which obligated him to appear and testify and later issued an arrest order to compel him to show up in the panel’s investigation into the alleged abuses at KOJC.
“If [Quiboloy] wants, I will be his security. Even if I’m just a one-man security team, I’ll intercept any threats to his life. I won’t allow anyone who poses a threat to his safety to get through,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino when interviewed on AM station Radyo 630. “I will volunteer to provide security for him if he decides to face the Senate — it will be better. At the end of the day, the decision is coming from him and him alone.”
The Sept. 6 Davao City hearing provided a venue for the KOJC to air their grievances against the PNP and its supposed illegal operations in the 30-hectare compound near the Davao International Airport.
KOJC legal counsel Israelito Torreon, Sonshine Media Network International consultant Jay Sonza and other Quiboloy associates took turns throwing accusations at the PNP and alleging violations of human rights and the rule of law, as well as a “rape” of the 1987 Constitution in the guise of serving a warrant for Quiboloy’s arrest.
Torreon said the hearing, attended by Sens. Dela Rosa, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Robinhood Padilla, was a “gift” to the KOJC, which has been “under attack.” He said the PNP had turned the KOJC compound into a police garrison, which the religious group’s members could no longer use freely.
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Davao regional police chief, denied most of the accusations from the KOJC and asserted that the PNP has been keeping a maximum tolerance policy amid the chaos.
Sonza alleged that the PNP had turned off the KOJC’s water supply system and disabled its closed-circuit television system at the basement of the Jose Maria College building so they could dig up a tunnel without being monitored. Torre said the allegations were not true.
It was a disorderly hearing that Dela Rosa presided over. Resource persons spoke without being recognized. At one point, a police officer had to interrupt and ask why a resource person was allowed to raise a point of order.
Yes, Torreon raised a point of order, not just once but twice, while Torre was disputing the KOJC assertions of misconduct and other allegations raised against the PNP. Dela Rosa realized that only committee members could raise a point of order after the police officer called his attention to it.
In another instance, Dela Rosa said the PNP should have asked for a search warrant so the KOJC members would not block them in searching the compound. Torre had to explain that a search warrant is for contrabands and illegal items. “We’re not alleging that, sir. What we’re looking for is a person. No judge will issue us a search warrant because we do not allege that there’s drugs there. We do not allege that there are illegal items there. Search warrant will only cover things.”
The senator, who was chief of the PNP for three years and Davao City police chief for almost two years prior, could only say, “I agree, I agree. Right.”
Dela Rosa could not afford to antagonize the KOJC. He needs their support for his reelection bid in 2025. His “performance” at the hearing shows we deserve better candidates for senator in the next elections.
The hearing now appears as a last-ditch effort of the Duterte-allied senators to shield Quiboloy from the PNP’s relentless search.
On Sunday night, the PNP said Quiboloy has surrendered following a few hours of negotiation after the police gave him a 24-hour ultimatum to turn himself in.
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.
This column also appeared in The Manila Times.
