Mga ebidensya ng umano’y paggamit ng “excessive force” ng PNP sa KOJC compound, ipinakita ni KOJC legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon sa pagdinig ng Senado.
Video: Senate of the Philippines livestream/YouTube
Video: Senate of the Philippines livestream/YouTube
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00:00This is actually day one, Your Honor, 3.15 in the morning, August 24, where PNP used
00:06excessive force and they deployed 3,000 PNP personnel, Your Honor, with truncheons, riot
00:13shields and heavily armored staff to enforce the warrant of arrest.
00:18And the PNP actually at that time surrounded the compound and several personnel were assigned
00:25to secure the following areas.
00:26They developed themselves into sectors, Your Honor.
00:29You were able to get a copy of that in the cathedral, Your Honor, because some policemen,
00:36Your Honor, were not so careful in the safekeeping of that, what you call this document, Your
00:44Honor.
00:45We can see that they were actually divided into 12 sectors.
00:49Sector one, five teams of CDMO were deployed just outside the KOJC compound.
00:55Sector two, Jose Maria College and KOJC Cathedral.
01:00Sector three, Bible School, open field dorm, publishing house, mall houses.
01:04Sector four, mechanical building, Jasper Wall.
01:08Sector five is the kingdom.
01:10Sector six, Kew Palace.
01:11Sector seven is the hangar.
01:13Sector eight, the empty lot, Your Honor.
01:16Sector nine, engineering houses.
01:17Sector 10, stockroom.
01:19Sector 11, transportation area.
01:21Sector 12, the anatomy or the near taxiway.
01:24You can see, Your Honor, the overwhelming excessive force that they have employed in
01:29this case.
01:30Attorney.
01:31Yes, Your Honor.
01:32Where did you get this?
01:34From them, Your Honor, because they were so careless in the handling of documents.
01:41And one document, Your Honor, fell off and one of the members, I don't know who was able
01:46to secure it and gave it to us, Your Honor.
01:49At that time, PNP even had aerial support, Your Honor.
01:53And the next slide would prove that, no?
01:56Drones were seen flying during the execution phase.
01:59And even days before that, drones were already flying above us, Your Honor.
02:04And the next slide will also show that they have high-tech equipment, long-range acoustic
02:09device or LRAD, no?
02:12And I actually experienced that when General Torrey used that early in the morning where
02:17your eardrums were about to explode even after brief exposure.
02:22Next slide, please.
02:23And...
02:24Hold on, Attorney.
02:25Yes, Your Honor.
02:26I would like to get the response from General Torrey.
02:32Is it true that you're reusing the LRAD during worship time?
02:39While they're praying, you're using the LRAD?
02:45Please...
02:46I kept an open mind and I will not allow such kind of activity to be done if it has been
03:01done.
03:02But there's nothing that has come to my attention that there was that kind of complaint, Your
03:06Honor.
03:08Thank you if that's your stand about that.
03:17You can just imagine if you're the one who's worshipping inside and you're using the LRAD
03:23to make your ears explode.
03:26I can just imagine what will happen to you.
03:31We don't do that and we'll never do that, Your Honor.
03:37That's baloney, Your Honor.
03:40We have so many videotapes and videos, Your Honor, that would prove actual footages that
03:47would prove that in times of worship and prayer, Your Honor, somebody would put on the LRAD,
03:56Your Honor.
03:58It's okay for me to use it if people are very rowdy and unruly.
04:06But if it's time for worship, my God, I can just imagine why we're using it.
04:14Please respond.
04:17Your Honor, the LRAD is being used as a public address system to make sure that all the messages
04:23are pushed through.
04:25However, Your Honor, we are not aware of the schedule of their prayers, of their activities
04:35inside because the LRAD is outside.
04:37Okay.
04:38Okay.
04:39If only...
04:40Okay.
04:41Wait.
04:42If you're not talking to them, please, we're praying here.
04:48Don't use it.
04:49Many times, Your Honor.
04:50Many times.
04:51Many times.
04:52What did you talk about?
04:53The police officers in the field, Your Honor.
04:56There are many policemen there, Your Honor.
04:58At one time, they even reached about 4,000 or 5,000, Your Honor.
05:02So, especially during the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, Your Honor, there
05:08are many of them.
05:09But he has the habit of, what you call this, putting that on in times of worship of KOJC
05:19members.
05:20But anyway, if he denies that, Your Honor, may we continue in the narration of events,
05:25Your Honor?
05:26You still want to say something?
05:27Let's continue.
05:28Sir, let's rejoin there.
05:31Even on the day itself and the next day, Atty.
05:35Torreon is very fond of making written demands or requests in writing and delivered to me,
05:44even on holidays.
05:46Simple demand like that can be sent through cell phone.
05:49And I have already unblocked him.
05:52And I would like to categorically state, there's no request whatsoever.
05:57Yesterday, there was a request for the use of platforms or whatever equipment that they
06:02want to pull out from the cathedral.
06:05That was made.
06:06And it was immediately granted because, first and foremost, I really don't have control
06:10over those materials and equipment, sir.
06:12So, just a simple text, to that matter, to that effect, regarding the interference of
06:18the LRAD during their worship activities would have been sufficient if there were incidents
06:24like that that came to their attention.
06:26Thank you, sir.
06:28Atty.
06:29Torreon, please continue.
06:31Yes.
06:32The next slide, Your Honor, if I may continue.
06:43And this is the key, Your Honor, in the determination as to whether or not the operation to Armide
06:49is legal, Your Honor, because in this interaction, Your Honor, General Torreon only presented
06:56one warrant of arrest, and that is of Silvia Simonis.
07:00Until today, he has not yet presented any other warrant of arrest, Your Honor.
07:05Can you please…
07:12The address here, sir, is 680 Metro Manila, sir.
07:24Silvia Simonis.
07:26Can you help me with this, technical?
07:35Before you continue, Atty.
07:50Torreon, my colleague here, Senator Roberto Padilla, would like to ask a copy of that
07:56warrant of arrest against Silvia.
07:59Please submit that to the COMSEC.
08:03Essentially, Your Honor, what happened here, Your Honor, was that he presented one warrant
08:08of arrest.
08:09If I may continue, Your Honor.
08:11And he gave us 30 minutes in order for us to, what you call this, to ultimatum, Your
08:20Honor, to whether we like it or not, they would enter.
08:26And I actually used a megaphone, Your Honor, and told him there was actually no need to
08:32use force because we were willing to cooperate.
08:35And despite the fact that the 30 minutes have not yet elapsed, Your Honor, footages would
08:42show that the Southern Gate as well as the Eastern Gate were forcibly destroyed, Your
08:49Honor.
08:50And heavily armed policemen, Your Honor, were immediately attacked the compound.
08:56Here, Your Honor, that was his statement.
08:58We will enter.
08:59This is not a place for us to debate.
09:03You should just complain.
09:05And he said here, he will conduct the search on their own terms.
09:10That was his declaration, Your Honor.
09:12So even if the 30 minutes, next slide, please.
09:17We also reminded him, Your Honor, at that time that there was actually a certification
09:23from the NBI that the warrant of arrest has already been served.
09:27Yet even before the 30 minutes, the picture would show that some of his men did not wait
09:39for the 30 minutes.
09:40They immediately breached the back part of the compound, the eastern side.
09:45They broke it, Your Honor, specifically in Sector 7, Sector 10, and Sector 11.
09:51And they showed evident premeditation and treachery to attack KOJC members rather than
09:57to serve the warrant of arrest because they loved their gases, Your Honor.
10:01And the result is this.
10:03Next slide, please.
10:04Attorney.
10:05Yes, Your Honor.
10:06Why 30 minutes?
10:07I don't know with him, Your Honor.
10:08He gave us 30 minutes, but we told him there was no need for you to use force.
10:12We are willing to cooperate.
10:14But he was, I think, prepared with some form of a speech.
10:21He even taped it in his LRAD, Your Honor.
10:24He continuously played it.
10:26There was a deafening recording, Your Honor, played on his LRAD.
10:32We are here to implement a warrant of arrest.
10:36Something like that.
10:37He had a tape recording.
10:40And then he was giving us 30 minutes, Your Honor.
10:43But then again, I pointed out to him, no need to use force.
10:47We are willing to cooperate.
10:49So he said, Your Honor, we will give you 30 minutes.
10:53And whether you like it or not, we will open the gate.
10:58And what you call this, we will open the gate.
11:03And we will serve the warrant based on our own terms.
11:07What happened was, Your Honor, we opened the gate.
11:10The 30 minutes did not pass.
11:12The southern portion was already destroyed.
11:14Then the armed police entered.
11:17The tear gases exploded.
11:19The people in the back were shocked.
11:22And one person died.
11:24Right then and there, four others suffered heart attacks, Your Honor.
11:28And four minor children, Your Honor, suffered severe anxiety attacks.
11:34In that cathedral, I was there when that happened, Your Honor.
11:39Because we were in a mess.
11:40There were a lot of them.
11:42And while that was going on, thousands of policemen, Your Honor,
11:48were immediately conducting omnibus search to any and all structures simultaneously.