SOME 100 more police officers were deployed inside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) compound in Davao City as the search for the fugitive evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, wanted for sexual abuse and human trafficking, entered its sixth day.
The 100 policemen, carrying shields, reinforced the 2,000 police personnel already inside the compound, which was raided on Saturday, August 24.
KoJC members complained as the Philippine National Police (PNP) brought a blue box about the size of a chest freezer into the compound, saying it had not gone through the X-ray scanner before entering.
Anti-riot police stand in formation outside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao city, Davao del Sur province, about 1,500 kilometers south of Manila, Philippines, 26 August 2024. EPA-EFE/CERILO EBRANO
Police would not say what was inside the blue box. At the same time, the PNP brought in a long-range acoustic device or LRAD, equipment that produces sound at high power for communicating at a distance. It is also commonly used for perimeter security and crowd control.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 said some 29 KoJC members were charged when some 60 police officers were injured when they tried to serve an arrest warrant for Quiboloy and his co-accused.
PRO-11 spokesman Maj. Catherine de la Rey said charges of obstruction of justice and direct assault were filed against the KoJC members.
Some of them had been taken to the Davao City Police Office custodial facility, where their bail is being processed.
She said 60 police officers were hurt in the operation.
At the same time, the PNP dubbed as “fake news” reports circulating on social media emanating from the Quiboloy-owned SMNI network that the PNP supposedly warned KoJC members that it would bomb their cathedral if they did not surrender their leader to authorities in two hours.
Quiboloy is facing charges for violating the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, and human trafficking.
Also on Thursday, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) urged Quiboloy and his co-accused members of the KoJC to surrender to the authorities.
“In light of the ongoing situation involving Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and co-accused members of the KoJC, we urge him to consider surrendering to the authorities. It is essential to recognize that no one is above the law, and facing accusers and investigations peacefully is a fundamental principle of justice,” PCEC National Director Bishop Noel Pantoja wrote in a statement.
The church group also called on the Philippine National Police to “exercise restraint and uphold human rights throughout this process” and appealed to the government to act as peacemakers and “not leverage the issue for political gain.”
“The pursuit of justice should not be marred by the divisions of politics; instead, it should foster unity and healing within our communities,” the PCEC said.
It also encouraged its faithful to “engage in prayer, embodying the teachers of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.”
Aside from the charges filed in the Philippines, Quiboloy is also wanted in the United States for his “alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the US” as well as having female “pastorals” being required to work as his assistants and to have sex with the preacher.
WITH ARIC JOHN SY CUA
Be the first to comment