August 29, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Apart from a bunker, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound has secret tunnels, one of which is connected to a private hangar owned by fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the Philippine National Police disclosed yesterday.
PNP public information officer Col. Jean Fajardo said they have received reports that there were secret tunnels underneath the KOJC compound, and that one of them leads to Quiboloy’s private hangar.
“This tunnel connects to the hangar and we are watching it to make sure the subjects of the warrants of arrest can’t escape,” Fajardo said over PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas.
Police have tightened security in the compound to ensure Quiboloy does not have an opportunity to flee.
More police officers outside of the Davao region were deployed at the KOJC compound in search of Quiboloy, who is believed to be hiding in the 30-hectare property.
The deployment of fresh troops came after the PNP insisted the manhunt against Quiboloy, who is wanted for qualified human trafficking and child abuse, will proceed despite a temporary protection order (TPO) from a Davao City court.
While they respect the judiciary’s role in upholding the rights of all parties involved, PNP chief Gen. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the TPO does not hinder the enforcement of arrest warrants against Quiboloy and his four co-accused.
“As affirmed by the Supreme Court, this order does not obstruct the PNP’s duty to serve these warrants, and we will continue to do so with the highest respect for legal procedures and human rights,” Marbil said.
The move to bring fresh troops from other police regional offices such as Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Soccsksargen is meant to augment around 2,000 police officers from Davao region who have been on the ground since last week looking for Quiboloy.
Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Augustus Alba, Directorate for Police Community Relations director and spokesman for Special Task Group Teknon Alpha, said more forces are needed to give policemen from Davao some time to rest.
The police official, however, refused to give a ballpark figure of the police officers from other regions.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to file a petition to clarify the TPO issued by a Davao court against police operations to hunt down Quiboloy.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said they are filing a clarificatory petition regarding the TPO, as this goes against the arrest warrant issued by two separate courts in Pasig and Davao against Quiboloy.
“A court order cannot overrun its co-equal. The Pasig and Davao branch has an order to arrest. They are both equal,” he said over dzRH.
In a separate interview, Abalos noted that the Supreme Court transferred the venue of Quiboloy’s cases from Davao to Quezon City last May 28.
“The court further directed judges in Davao City and in other stations in Mindanao where future, mind you, future related cases involving Quiboloy and his co-accused may be filed to motu propio order the transmittal of the records to the office of the clerk of court of the RTC Quezon City and Metropolitan Trial Court Quezon City, as the case may be,” Abalos said.
“That is why we’’re filing cases to clarify. Number one, what is that temporary protection order? No, definitely, we will continue with the arrest,” he added.
‘Court did not bar police ops’
Meanwhile, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Mico Clavano clarified that the Davao City court did not prohibit police from conducting operations at the KOJC compound when it issued a temporary protection order.
Clavano said the court order was not a blanket cease-and-desist order. “It’s really related more to the ingress and egress of the followers into and out of the compound,” he said over ANC.
With this, Clavano said the police must make adjustments and changes, based on the court order, in their operations to arrest Quiboloy.
He said police should take the directive “literally” and stick with the wording of the court order. If there is a need to clarify, he said the court “should be able to speak again.”
“What we can expect today perhaps is really just an adjustment by the police since the court has already spoken,” the DOJ official said.
The Supreme Court earlier said the temporary protection order will not stop authorities from serving the arrest warrant against Quiboloy.
Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Church, said it is deeply concerned by the ongoing tension between KOJC supporters and PNP.
No plan to bomb KOJC cathedral
“The situation is fraught with tension and volatile. Thus, it is a situation where some parties may use to sow more discord to create anarchy. This is a very real threat as we can begin to observe,” said Caritas Philippines president Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo and executive director Fr. Carmelo Caluag, as they appealed to all those concerned to abide by the rule of law.
“We believe that due process has been observed and enough time has been given to Pastor Quiboloy to appear in hearings to prove his innocence,” they added.
“It is time that he surrenders and proves his innocence in the proper forum, which are the courts of our government. We make this appeal based on the principle that no one is above the law.”
Meanwhile, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles urged the Catholic faithful to “pray so that justice and peace may continue to reign in our beloved city.”
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 11 denied Sonshine Media Network International’s claims that KOJC was given two hours to present Quiboloy or the police will bomb the cathedral in the compound.
The PRO 11 has branded the supposed ultimatum as false which is only meant to cause fear and panic. “This baseless accusation is not supported by any credible evidence and only serves to mislead the public,” it said.
For his part, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption president Arsenio Evangelista said he supports the PNP’s manhunt for Quiboloy. – Daphne Galvez, Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Romina Cabrera, Alexis Romero
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