DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 09 September) – Controversial religious leader Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and self-appointed “son of God,” was hiding at the ACQ College of Ministry, a bible school inside the sprawling KOJC compound, before his arrest Sunday after months in hiding, the regional police director said Monday.
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, PNP Region 11 director, said the police received surrender feelers around 10 a.m. Sunday, after he warned KOJC officials that authorities will launch at 1 p.m. that day an assault to arrest Quiboloy.
Torre said that Quiboloy negotiated with the top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame his intent to yield, as the preacher knew “that the police on the ground nailed and were closing in on his location.”
“Around 10:00 a.m., we had been hearing feelers. The national headquarters called me up because the negotiations were done ‘high level.’ I was told to hold the assault for the meantime. So, from 1:00 p.m., it was moved to 3:00 p.m.,” he said in a press conference at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame aired on Facebook.
He said the bible school had been cordoned off for several days before the fugitive religious leader was arrested.
Torre said the assault inside the bible school was slated on Saturday, a day after the Senate investigation called by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, which was held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao.
The police official said, however, that he decided to postpone it until Sunday to allow students of the Jose Maria College (JMC) – College of Law to work on their bar operations in preparation for the first day of the September 2024 Bar Examinations on Sunday, September 8.
He said that as the police forces were assembling inside the compound early Sunday, they told the KOJC members that they were going to search for Quiboloy and his co-accused “on their own terms,” with fully armed men.
“Hahanapin namin si Quiboloy (we will look for Quiboloy) our way because for two weeks, it has always been your way,” he said.
Torre admitted that police forces were armed when they entered the compound on Sunday because, during the senate hearing, they were told that law enforcers should not enter the compound without weapons, as some KOJC members could be armed.
During the senate investigation, Torre showed a video footage of some policewomen being frisked by Quiboloy’s followers outside the bible school, prompting dela Rosa to comment that it was too risky for police officers to go inside the compound without any firearms.
Torre said that around 500 Special Action Forces personnel were deployed around the bible school and another 500 from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-Special Weapons and Tactics around the JMC, “as we’re definite that we’re closing in on Quiboloy.”
The bible school is located just behind the JMC.
At 2:45 p.m., Torre said that while his men were preparing for the assault, he received another call asking him to wait but maintained that he was giving them until 3:15 p.m., as he needed confirmation of the plane that will fetch the wanted preacher at 6 p.m.
Torre cancelled the assault after receiving confirmation of the flight.
“I really demanded that 30 minutes before the landing of the plane, he should be seen by my representatives. They did not want to see me, so I sent my representatives — a high ranking officer and another commander,” he said.
PNP chief General Rommel Marbil said that one of the conditions of Quiboloy was that Torre must not be present once he submitted himself to authorities.
Torre noted that he wanted the operations completed on Sunday because the next day, Monday, the KOJC “can file for legal remedies to block the police operations.”
He said that Quiboloy was taken from the compound and boarded one of the vehicles escorted by the PNP’s Aviation Security Group to the airport.
Quiboloy was brought to Manila via a C-130 plane, which landed at the Tactical Operations Group (TOG)-Davao at the Old Airport in Sasa located near the KOJC compound.
He is facing charges of child abuse and qualified human trafficking, along with co-accused Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes. Paulene was arrested last July 11 at her residence in Emily Homes Subdivision in Barangay Cabantian here.
Roy, Crescente, Ingrid, and Cemañes were also arrested and presented before the press along with Quiboloy on Monday. However, they could not be recognized as their faces were covered.
The suspects have two warrants of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Davao City and the RTC in Pasig City in April this year.
Last May 28, the Supreme Court’s Second Division ordered the transfer of the two criminal cases from the RTC in Davao to the RTC in Quezon City.
The Senate also ordered the arrest of Quiboloy last March 19, after he was cited in contempt for continuously defying its order to appear in the investigations of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality.
“There is no other outcome. He will fall into government hands,” Torre said.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos said there is no truth to information that Quiboloy came from North Cotabato and decided to travel to KOJC to surrender.
That was a “kwentong kutsero” (baseless), he said.
“Alam nyo kung bakit? Nasa labas ka na, eh di tumakas ka na. Ang tagal nyang sinasabi na hindi sya magpahuli. Pangalawa, papasok ka pa ulit? Dun ka na sumurender kung nasaan ka man. Why do you have to go inside? (Do you know why? You’re already outside, just run away. He has been saying for a long time that he will not surrender. Second, why do you need to go inside (KOJC compound). Just surrender wherever you are. Why do you have to go inside?” Abalos said.
In a post on Facebook, lawyer Israelito Torreon, lead counsel of KOJC, said that Quiboloy had to make an “ultimate sacrifice” amid the police “brutalities” at the KOJC compound. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
