No place to hide: World gets smaller for Quiboloy

MANILA, Philippines — The world of alleged human trafficker and sex offender Apollo Quiboloy is getting smaller as authorities have vowed to exhaust all available resources to arrest him after one of his co-accused was arrested last Thursday.

At a press conference at Camp Crame yesterday where he announced the arrest of Paulene Canada, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos expressed confidence that Quiboloy, founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) ministry, would soon be caught by law enforcement agents.

Abalos vowed they will not stop until Quiboloy and his remaining co-accused are arrested and brought to court to face trial.

He assured the fugitive religious leader of fair treatment.

“We will use all resources of government to make sure that the ends of justice will be met,” he said.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government chief on Monday announced a P10-million bounty on Quiboloy and a reward of P1 million was also put up for his co-accused.

Since then, tipsters have been calling the hotlines of the Philippine National Police (PNP), claiming to have information on the location of the wanted sect leader.

With Canada’s arrest, Abalos said it is just a matter of time before Quiboloy is apprehended.

“We will assure you this as what we have assured you before – lumiliit na ang Pilipinas para sa kanya (the Philippines is getting smaller for him),” Abalos said.

He also chided former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who have been critical of the government’s efforts to arrest Quiboloy. He said they should just convince the sect leader to surrender.

“I am just appealing to your patriotism here. It would be better that way,” Abalos said.

Canada was arrested at her residence at Emily Homes Subdivision in Davao City on Thursday afternoon.

Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Police Regional Office 11 director, said the area where Canada was apprehended is just two kilometers away from their headquarters in Camp Sgt. Quinto M. Merecido in Barangay Buhangin.

Canada wore an orange shirt when she was presented to journalists at Camp Crame. She also had a  face mask and her head was covered with a cloth.

Torre, barely a month in his post as Davao region police chief, declined to comment on why the previous police commanders were not able to apprehend Canada.

“I am not actually in a position to answer that,” he said.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil believes the bounty put up by unnamed private individuals was a key factor in Canada’s arrest.

Torre echoed Marbil’s statement, saying there were many factors that led to Canada’s arrest.

“Bottomline is we have results,” he said.

The four other respondents in Quiboloy’s cases who remain at large are  Cresente Canada, Ingrid Canada, Jackielyn Roy and Sylvia Cemanes.

The camp of Quiboloy, meanwhile, reiterated that the Marcos administration should disclose the identities of individuals who helped put up the P10-million bounty for the fugitive religious leader.

At a press conference Thursday night, Topacio said that under the Constitution, the people have the right to information on the matter of public concern after President Marcos defended the decision of Abalos not to mention the individuals who donated the P10-million reward for Quiboloy.

“We are not saying that the government should not provide bounty. That’s practice. What we are asking is who is behind the reward because they don’t want to disclose (the identity). The public has the right to know,” Topacio said.

Marcos challenged Quiboloy to come out of hiding as he maintained that the government is just enforcing the law.

Topacio also questioned the amount of the reward, noting that in May 2024, the government only provided P1.9-million bounty to at least 11 tipsters. — Bella Cariaso, Romina Cabrera