PNP equipment detects life signs beneath KOJC compound
Police personnel combing through the sprawling Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City believe they are closing in on the elusive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy after their sophisticated sonar equipment detected apparent signs of life underground.
Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, director of the Philippine National Police Regional Office 11 (PNP-PRO11, on Sunday expressed “high confidence” that by following the faint sound of a heartbeat, they will soon be able to pinpoint the precise location of Quiboloy.
The fugitive religious leader is believed to be hiding somewhere in a labyrinth of tunnels below the surface of the 30-hectare compound in Barangay Buhangin.
“He’s definitely there. They’re trying to sneak him out,” Torre said.
The regional police chief also ordered that police officers maintain round-the-clock presence outside the compound in case the religious leader tried to make a quick getaway.
He reiterated that the search has only covered about one-fourth of the compound.
“We have informants inside. We just haven’t been able to find him due to their well-planned movements within the compound,” Torre said.
“With the size of the place and the numerous exits, even we are getting lost and separated,” he added.
It was explained that there are a total of 42 buildings inside the KOJC compound.
Torre appealed to Quiboloy to simply surrender and spare his followers the inconvenience by continuing to evade the law.
“I hope he surrenders… he will make his supporters suffer even more. Don’t do it. Spare your supporters from this heartache and just get out and surrender yourself,” he said.
The police general also assured the safety of civilians inside the compound despite the ongoing police operation.
“As long as they don’t interfere with what the police are doing, we don’t have a problem,” he noted.
For her part, spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said that surrendering and facing the charges slapped against him the only way to prevent the situation form degenerating any further.
“We have no qualms about serving the warrant of arrest because we have informants who confirmed the Pastor Quiboloy is really inside the compound. We continue to appeal to him to end the suffering of his followers and face the cases against him,” she emphasized.
As this developed, two while law enforcers have yet to collar Quiboloy, they managed to resque two alleged human-trafficking victims inside the KOJC compound.
It was reported over Super Radyo dzBB report that the PNP Women and Children Protection Desk, and employees of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 11 carried out the rescue operation.
PRO-11 spokesperson Police Major Catherine dela Rey said the supposed victims were a 21-year-old male from Samar and a female from Cotabato’s Midsayap town.
She explained that the two alleged victims were rescued after they and their relatives had sought help from the police.
Dela Rey explained that the two rescued individuals wanted to leave the KOJC compound but were supposedly being prevented from doing so.
KOJC legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon denied allegations that the religious group was involved in human trafficking.
The lawyer said the police should “stop the harassment” as they did not have a search warrant to stay in the KOJC compound.
Meanwhile, The Davao regional police also confirmed that a member of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) died inside the compound early in the manhunt operation due to a heart attack.
“PRO 11 expresses deep condolences regarding [his] passing and emphasizes that the police were simply fulfilling their duty in executing the warrant of arrest for Pastor Quiboloy, who has been evading law enforcement. [His] death is not related to the ongoing implementation of the warrant of arrest,” the statement posted on PRO XI’s Facebook page said.
