DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 8 Sept)—Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and self-appointed son of God, has been arrested after several months of evading capture, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos.
The picture accompaying Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos’ post on Facebook that Pastor Apollo Quiboy has already been arrested.
“Nahuli na si Pastor Apollo Quiboloy!” Abalos posted on his Facebook page at 6:23 p.m. but provided no other details. With the post is a picture showing Quiboloy together with his counsel Israelito Torreon and an unidentified person.
In an interview with TV reporters, Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Police Regional Office-11 (PRO-11) director, declined to categorically answer questions if Quiboloy was arrested or surrendered. He suggested that questions as to the details should be addressed to the DILG secretary.
He said Quiboloy was brought to Manila via a C-130 plane, which earlier landed at the Tactical Operations Group (TOG)-Davao at the Old Airport in Sasa located near the KOJC compound.
“Ang particular sa pagkahuli ni Pastor Apollo Quiboloy ay paki tanong na lang sa DILG. Hindi ko talaga alam sa mga details (Kindly ask the DILG about the details of the arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. I don’t know the details yet),” he said.
Torre said that the PRO-11 was instructed to allow a convoy of vehicles leave the hangar of the KOJC compound and proceed to the airport.
Quiboloy’s arrest took place on Day 16 of the police operation to serve the arrest warrants on Quiboloy and four of his five co-accused inside the KOJC compound since it started last August 24.
Quiboloy 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.
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.
Torre said that the surrender of Quiboloy was a relief.
He also thanked his police officers for their services during the operations at the KOJC compound.
He said he never doubted the intelligence information that Quiboloy was hiding inside the KOJC compound.
“There is no doubt that he’s there,” he said.
He added that the search took some time, considering the size of the area where Quiboloy could be hiding. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
