Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte stressed on Friday the importance of listening to both parties in the ongoing standoff between the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC)-Philippine National Police (PNP).
“Ang importante lang diri kinahanglan duha ang istorya, dili puwede nga usa lang, dili puwede nga ang istorya sa KOJC ang mauna, dili pud puwede nga ang istorya sa PNP maoy mauna nga istorya. Importante duha ka istorya ang atong paminawon ug tan-awon nato ang mga ebidensiya ug pruweba para mahibaw-an nato kung unsa gyud ang tinuod,” the mayor said in an interview.
In his opening statement during the public hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights (Subcommittee on the Privilege Speech on the PNP operation in the KOJC compound) led by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday at the session hall of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in Davao City, the mayor said the senate hearing is an opportunity not only for Dabawenyos but for all Filipinos to understand why these events are unfolding in this manner.
He mentioned that on August 24, 2024, at least 2,000 PNP personnel, led by Police Regional Office 11 (PRO 11) Director General Nicolas Torre III and acting under the directives of PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil, entered the KOJC compound supposedly to serve an arrest warrant.
“However, what appears to be an arrest operation has already turned into a siege as PNP personnel have been occupying the said private property without proper authority, raising serious concerns about the legitimacy of the operation,” he said.
Duterte also said that the 13-day operations at the KOJC compound have raised questions from citizens on the integrity and legality of the said operations.
“Are these operations being done by the PNP still within the bounds of the law? Are the rights of the Filipinos being respected and protected? These are the critical questions that demand answers. If the PNP, the very institution that is mandated to uphold the law, is the one who violates it, where can the ordinary citizen turn for justice and protection? Who will defend the rights of those who are powerless?” he said.
Duterte said Dabawenyos respect the implementation of any warrant as long as it is within the law and does not trample on the constitutional rights of others.
“It is our firm belief that the pursuit of justice must never come at the expense of fairness and due process,” he said.
He also said that Dabawenyos is committed to maintaining this harmony and will continue working towards a safe, peaceful Davao City for all.
“Dabawenyos are peace-loving people, and we take immense pride in our city’s longstanding peace and order, which we all worked hard to sustain over the years. This is a product of the great collaboration among the law enforcement agencies, the LGU, and the public,” he said.
The mayor did not stay long in the hearing, however, before he left, he posed a question to Torre and the PNP.
“I just want to ask the PNP, did you use tear gas and were you armed when you entered the premises of KOJC? This is not to be answered right now I leave the question to the floor,” he said.
Torre replied that the PNP has firearms as part of the Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) personnel’s standard procedure.
Meanwhile, the mayor thanked Senators Dela Rosa and Robin Padilla for giving attention to the issue.
“Sa tan-aw nako dugay pa ni kay like I said duha ka semana ang panghitabo unya daghan kaayo, naay side and KOJC unya naa pud ang PNP. Dili lang ni para sa mga Dabawenyo lang kay this need to be clarified because we are talking about an agency that is meant to protect the people. These are police that we are talking about,” Duterte said.
The mayor also said there is a need to extend intervention on mental health as KOJC members especially children are traumatized by the PNP’s assault on their property.
He also said that Davao City is ready to provide such intervention because the city has professionals to attend to these needs.
