DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/September 30)– Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, the self-appointed son of God facing criminal charges, was reportedly hospitalized for breathing difficulties but is now stable and recovering, according to a statement quoting jail officials.
Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera, spokesperson for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), in a statement dated Tuesday, September 30, said Quiboloy was rushed from the Pasig City Jail to a public hospital last September 11 where he was subsequently diagnosed as having Community Acquired Pneumonia (moderate risk).
The official added that as of September 30, Quiboloy remains “stable and recovering in a public hospital in line with BJMP policies on medical care for persons deprived of liberty.”
MindaNews reached out to lawyer Israelito Torreon, Quiboloy’s lead counsel, for comment and whether he has been discharged from the hospital but the lawyer has yet to respond as of 12:30 p.m., September 30.
On Sept. 8, 2024, the detained religious leader was arrested by authorities at the KOJC Compound in Davao City after several months of evading capture.
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.
Two separate warrants of arrest were issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Davao City and the RTC in Pasig City in April 2024. But 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 on May 28 of the same year.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the US, Quiboloy has been on the wanted list of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation since February 2022 amid numerous indictments for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling after a federal warrant was issued in November 2021 against him.
In December 2022, the US Department of the Treasury included Quiboloy on a list of over 40 individuals from various countries whose assets have been blocked due to allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.
It said Quiboloy is designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 “for being a foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse.” (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
