Ben Madilynn
KINGDOM of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and four other KOJC leaders “surrendered” to authorities Sunday afternoon, September 8, 2024, after they were given a 24-hour ultimatum.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Public Information Office (PIO) chief Colonel Jean Fajardo said in an interview with reporters that Quiboloy voluntarily turned himself in along with his co-accused Crisente and Ingrid Canada, Sylvia Cemañes and Jackielyn Roy around 5:30 p.m. inside the KOJC compound in Buhangin, Davao City following a joint efforts of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The compound has been the subject of the two-week police operations in a bid to arrest Quiboloy and four others. One of his co-accused, Pauleen Canada, was arrested in July.
“Nagbigay ang PNP ng ultimatum na sumuko sila. Otherwise ay papasukin na po natin ‘yung isang particular building na hindi tayo pinapayagan pumasok. So nagkaroon ng negotiation ang PNP na kinatawan ng Intelligence Group at ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines). Pinagtulungan ito that led to the peaceful surrender nina Pastor Quiboloy at apat pa at nagpapasalamat tayo doon sa naging mapayapa at least nitong proseso na ito,” she said.
(The PNP gave an ultimatum that they surrender. Otherwise, we will enter a private building that we are not allowed to enter. So there was a negotiation between the PNP represented by the Intelligence Group and ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines). They worked together, leading to the peaceful surrender of Pastor Quiboloy and four others and we thank them for the peaceful process.)
Fajardo said Quiboloy and his co-accused were brought to Manila, particularly at the PNP custodial center in Camp Crame, where they underwent booking procedures. Their mugshots and fingerprints were taken, as well as physical and medical examination.
Quiboloy and his co-accused have a standing arrest warrant over charges of human trafficking and child and sexual abuse filed against them by former members of KOJC.
Fajardo said Quiboloy and the four others will be brought to a Quezon City and Pasig Court for the return of their arrest warrants.
The Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 12, which issued an arrest warrant against them over child and sexual abuse, has set the bail at P260,000.
The case was transferred to the Quezon City court.
The Pasig court, which issued a warrant for human trafficking, recommended no bail.
In a statement, Quiboloy’s legal counsel, lawyer Israelito Torreon, said Quiboloy decided to surrender to the AFP and PNP “because he does not want the lawless violence to continue to happen in the KOJC Compound and he could not bear to witness a second longer the sufferings that his flock was experiencing for many days.”
He said Quiboloy was out of reach for several days, as he was waiting for positive results vis-a-vis the legal remedies that his lawyers opted to avail.
“However, heart-wrenching and mind-boggling events transpired where a warrant of arrest has been turned into a license to convert his beloved KOJC Compound into a police garrison, the sacred KOJC Cathedral being desecrated, the JMC School turned into a mining pit, his followers as recipients of brutalities, one of whom even died, scores injured, many got arbitrarily arrested, vehicles unilaterally confiscated, all of which caused Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s heart to bleed,” said Torreon.
“Hence, even if he has the right to await the result of the legal remedies being resorted to by his lawyers, he decided to make the ultimate sacrifice by surrendering himself to the PNP and AFP,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
