House ‘Young Guns’ slam VP Sara for deflecting KOJC issue, urge respect for rule of law

LEADERS of the “Young Guns” in the House of Representatives on Sunday slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for diverting attention from Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s legal issues by apologizing to Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) members for urging them to vote for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2022.

“This is a clear attempt to deflect from the real issue at hand, which is Quiboloy’s refusal to submit to the law. Instead of apologizing for political choices, the Vice President should be focusing on ensuring that her ally faces justice,” said Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun.

For his part, Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V said, “It’s disheartening to see Vice President Duterte try to shift the narrative by invoking her role in the last election. The reality is that this situation is about holding a fugitive accountable for his actions, not about who voted for whom in 2022.”

Khonghun and Ortega also expressed dismay at the Vice President’s statement condemning what she called an “abuse of police power” during the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) operation to serve arrest warrants on Quiboloy and his co-accused for child abuse and human trafficking at the KOJC compound in Davao City.

The lawmakers pointed out that the PNP was executing a legitimate court order, and any attempt to paint this as harassment or abuse is misleading and irresponsible.

“The PNP was simply doing its job by enforcing a valid arrest warrant against Quiboloy and his cohorts, who are facing serious charges,” Ortega said. 

He added: “To call this an ‘abuse of power’ is a gross mischaracterization of the situation. The police were acting within the bounds of the law, and any confrontation that ensued was the result of resistance from within the compound, not police overreach.”

Khonghun stressed that the law must be applied equally, regardless of an individual’s connections or influence. 

“No one is above the law, and that includes Pastor Quiboloy,” Khonghun said. “The Vice President should be encouraging compliance with legal processes, not undermining them with baseless accusations and apologies that do nothing to address the real issue.”

Ortega urged the Vice President to respect the rule of law and support the PNP in its efforts to uphold justice. 

“The law must prevail, and we expect all public officials, including the Vice President, to stand behind our institutions as they work to ensure that justice is served,” he said.