The Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Branch 39 has found a leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) guilty of violating the Public Assembly Act of 1985, stemming from a 16-day standoff at the sect’s compound in Davao City last year.
In a seven-page decision penned by Presiding Judge Juvenal Bella, Eduardo Sapar Corda was convicted of violating Section 13(a) of Batas Pambansa Bilang 880. The court sentenced Corda to four months of imprisonment for leading an unauthorized assembly and barricade along the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway on August 26, 2024, during police operations to arrest televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.
“Constitutional liberties do not exist in a vacuum. While the State protects the right to peaceful assembly as a cornerstone of democracy, it simultaneously holds the police power to regulate such activities to safeguard public safety and order,” the ruling read.
The court noted that while the group had a permit for a “prayer rally and candle lighting” inside the KOJC compound, they exceeded their legal authority by occupying a national thoroughfare with heavy equipment and vehicles.
“When the exercise of free expression transcends the bounds of its legal authorization and encroaches upon the fundamental right of the public to safe and unobstructed passage, the law provides for a necessary reckoning. This case stands as a testament to that delicate balance between individual liberty and collective security,” the court added.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III, who served as the Davao regional police chief during the 2024 standoff, shared the decision on social media.
He clarified that the conviction was a matter of legal accountability rather than personal animosity.
“During the implementation of the warrant of arrest against Quiboloy, some people chose to break the law—setting up barricades, blocking roads and using chaos as a weapon,” Torre wrote in Filipino.
“Now, the court has decided. Guilty. There is punishment. There is accountability. This is how it should be. Noise cannot be used as a defense. Volume cannot be used as an exemption. And influence certainly cannot be used as a license. If it’s illegal, it’s illegal.”
Corda had argued that his role was strictly “ministerial and missionary,” claiming he was only using a megaphone to ensure the safety of church members.
However, the court favored the testimonies of police officers who identified him as the leader directing the group to ignore dispersal orders and maintain the blockade.
“If ordinary citizens are required to follow the law, then those in power must do so even more,” Torre concluded in his post.