The Philippine National Police (PNP) has explained why blurred versions of the mugshots of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and four co-accused were released.
According to PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, the blurred mugshots follow the same protocol as previous cases, in compliance with the directive of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which advises against showing the faces of suspects as much as possible.
Fajardo added that this practice is also applied to ordinary individuals arrested by regional and other operating units of the national police, whose faces are also blurred in released mugshots.
Fajardo clarified that the official mugshot of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was also blurred when released.
Col. Fajardo further explained why Quiboloy and his co-accused had their faces covered and were fully wrapped when presented to the media. She stated that this request was made by Quiboloy’s group and was granted as part of their rights.
In the case of Alice Guo, who was presented to the media upon her arrival in the Philippines from Indonesia, where she was arrested, Fajardo noted that Guo was wearing a face mask, which she had no issue with.
Quiboloy and his four co-accused are currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City, on charges of violating the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, as well as qualified human trafficking, accusations they deny.