The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed complaints of sedition and inciting to sedition on Thursday against lawyer Israelito Torreon, legal counsel of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, and several others.
The charges were lodged before the Department of Justice (DOJ) following a series of incidents linked to attempts to block Quiboloy’s arrest, PNP-CIDG Director Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III confirmed.
“We want to assure the public that our prosecutors are on top of the situation, this case will be handled thoroughly with utmost diligence and fairness,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
The case stems from an incident in August when KOJC supporters forcefully resisted police efforts to serve an arrest warrant for Quiboloy. The group barricaded roads, attacked policemen, and hurled various objects, including stones and expired food, injuring several officers.
The complaint also named as respondents Quiboloy’s sympathizers including Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, Lord Byron Cristobal (also known as “Banat By”), Jeffrey Celiz, and eight others. They are accused of posting seditious content on social media.
“You see, the government is serving a warrant of arrest against the five fugitives and they are preventing us from doing so,” Torre said in an ambush interview after the filing. The videos posted and shared by the accused allegedly incited the public to oppose law enforcement activities.
Quiboloy, who is facing charges of human trafficking and child abuse related to a 2011 case, was eventually apprehended at the KOJC compound in Davao City on September 8. Torre led the operation as then chief of the PNP-Davao regional office.
In response, Celiz criticized the complaints as “baseless and ridiculous,” claiming they reflect a concerning trend of silencing dissenting voices in the country.
Under the Revised Penal Code, sedition involves public uprisings to obstruct government functions, while inciting to sedition refers to encouraging others to commit such acts without direct involvement.
