DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) head Apollo Quiboloy may already be in China, his lawyer said yesterday, even as President Marcos asked the pastor to surface and follow the law instead of questioning the motive of people offering a reward for his arrest.
Quiboloy and five others, who are facing child sexual abuse and human trafficking cases before courts in Davao City and Pasig City, have remained at large despite efforts by authorities to arrest them in botched operations in four of the kingdom’s key properties last June 10.
Legal counsel Israelito Torreon told The STAR that news that the pastor has fled to China is making the rounds, but he could not confirm this.
“I just heard,” he said.
The failure of authorities to arrest Quiboloy led Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos to announce a P10-million bounty for anyone who can provide information on his whereabouts.
Quiboloy’s camp has questioned the move, saying the reward is “discriminatory” and “surprisingly disproportionate” and places the life of Quiboloy at risk.
Speaking to reporters in Rizal yesterday, Marcos said he does not see any issue if private citizens offer a reward for Quiboloy’s arrest.
“Why not? They want to help us bring a fugitive to justice. You know, he is a fugitive. He is hiding from the law,” the President said. “Now, if there are private citizens who want to assist the government in that effort to bring him to justice, I do not see (any issue).”
Marcos challenged Quiboloy to come out of hiding and maintained that the government is just following the law. “He can question their motives as much as they want but magpakita siya (he should surface),” the Chief Executive said.
“I question his motives. Let me question his motives. Why are we always questioned? We are just following the law. He should also follow the law,” he added.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte earlier told reporters, perhaps in jest, in Tacloban City that he was in constant communication with his former spiritual adviser and that he knew where the pastor is hiding.
Elements of the Special Action Force and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group last June 10 raided the KOJC main headquarters along Diversion Road as well as the Prayer Mountain and Glory Mountain in Barangay Tamayong, Davao City and the Sands Resort in the Island Garden City of Samal, but failed to arrest Quiboloy.
China has a consular office in Davao City, and whoever facilitated securing Quiboloy’s visa may have also done so for his co-accused, observers said.
The pastor could also have escaped from Davao City by any means as he has a fleet of helicopters, jet planes and even speed boats.
Bounty source illegal?
Meanwhile, Torreon said that the P10-million reward being offered by Abalos violates Republic Act 6713 after the interior secretary said that the bounty for the immediate arrest of Quiboloy came from donations.
“The P10-million reward may constitute a violation of RA 6713 because if you will read Section 7, paragraph D states that public officials or employees shall not solicit or accept directly or indirectly any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office,” the KOJC legal counsel said at a press conference Tuesday night.
Abalos on Monday announced the P10-million reward for information that would lead to Quiboloy’s arrest and P1 million each for information on his five co-accused.
“This (RA 6713) is applicable to Secretary Abalos. You may be motivated in good faith in whatever you are doing but that is a violation of the law because any donation or any prize is governed by particular (law),” Torreon said.
Torreon added that aside from RA 6713, Memorandum Circular No. 2019-063 provides that monetary rewards can only be offered to most wanted persons.
“Can the alleged crime committed by Pastor Quiboloy be considered as heinous? It is even bailable. All heinous crimes are not bailable,” he said.
He said that monetary rewards are also offered in sensational cases.
“A sensational crime…. refers to cases where the crime committed is directed against government officials appointed by the president, judges, prosecutors, members of the Philippine Bar, media practitioners, militant party-list, labor leaders, foreign nationals. The crime (of) Pastor Quiboloy is not a sensational crime,” he said.
Quiboloy is the subject of arrest warrants issued by the Davao City and Pasig City regional trial courts, where he is facing charges of qualified trafficking and sexual abuse allegedly committed against a 17-year-old girl in 2011.
The case in Davao City has been allowed by the Supreme Court to be transferred to a Quezon City court.
An immigration lookout bulletin order has been issued against Quiboloy to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “appointed son of God,” is currently considered a fugitive as authorities try to locate him due to the standing arrest warrants.
One of the endorsers of Marcos during the 2022 presidential race, Quiboloy is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s most wanted list for allegedly orchestrating a sex trafficking operation.
According to the FBI, Quiboloy is wanted for his alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that brought members of his church to the US through fraudulently obtained visas. A federal warrant was issued for the religious leader’s arrest on Nov. 10, 2021.
Last February, Quiboloy revealed through an audio clip that he is in hiding because he is facing threats to his life. He also claimed that Marcos had forged a deal with American authorities to hand him over to the US government.
Marcos laughed off the claim, saying the cases filed against Quiboloy in the US were filed before he became president. — Bella Cariaso
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