KINGDOM of Jesus Christ (KOJC) legal counsel, Israelito Torreon, has defended their media outlet's reporting on the KOJC standoff that occurred early Saturday morning, August 24, 2024. He described the situation as a surprising and “unlawful event” orchestrated by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
In a press conference on Thursday, August 29, 2024, Torreon explained that Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) journalists were caught off guard and confused by the chaotic arrest operation targeting KOJC leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and four co-accused.
He described the police operation as “truly unruly” and detailed the tense moments when police stormed the KOJC compound’s gates, resulting in clashes between police officers and Quiboloy’s supporters.
Torreon also admitted that during the incident, they attempted to negotiate with Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) director General Brigadier Nicolas Torre III.
SMNI had reported that seven of their members died in the raid, while the PNP confirmed only one casualty due to cardiac arrest.
Torreon later clarified that four individuals suffered heart attacks, one of which was fatal, and seven others lost consciousness.
Additionally, SMNI claimed that police used tear gas, but this was denied by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who described the allegations as politically motivated. “You go to any human rights advocate, there’s nothing that we did (that violated human rights). All the police personnel who entered were not armed. Not one of them carried a gun. We did not use tear gas. We did not do anything like that. So what human rights violation?," told reporters in Malacañang.
Despite this, numerous videos and live footage on social media appeared to show law enforcement using tear gas against KOJC followers who were blocking the gates.
Police personnel who entered the KOJC compound in the initial days were armed, with some wearing full battle gear and carrying high-powered firearms.
Videos also captured instances of pepper spraying.
Several reports from SMNI have been refuted by the PNP, including claims about water and electricity shutdowns, which were denied by Davao Light and Power Company Inc. (Davao Light) and the Davao City Water District (DCWD), respectively. Additionally, the PNP and other government agencies have disproven reports of total checkpoint closures in the jurisdiction. DEF