2 Quiboloy aides surrender

MANILA, Philippines — Two members of Apollo Quiboloy’s religious sect ordered arrested on Wednesday along with him and three others by a Davao court have surrendered.

Jackielyn Roy and Ingrid Canada, both personal assistants of Quiboloy in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), surrendered yesterday to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) a day after they were issued warrants of arrest by Judge Dante Baguio of the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 12 for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination.

Three other KOJC members – Paulene and Cresente Canada and Sylvia Camanes – posted P80,000 bail last Wednesday after their arrest at the Jose Maria College campus in Davao City and in the Samal and Tamayong properties of the KOJC. The NBI said it is negotiating with Quiboloy’s camp for his surrender.

“Right now we are negotiating his surrender through his counsel,” NBI XI regional director Arcelito Albao told The STAR.

Manhunt for the sect leader continues after authorities failed to find him in any of his properties in Davao. A team from the NBI, the Police Regional Office, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group XI is spearheading the search for the sect leader.

Col. Jean. Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said they have expanded their search for Quiboloy. “We’re looking at the possibility that he is outside Davao,” Fajardo said at a news conference. She said the KOJC leader is still in the country, based on information they have received.

In a phone interview, Davao region police director Brig. Gen. Alden Delvo said there is a “strong indication” that Quiboloy is hiding in the Tamayong Prayer Mountain in Davao City’s Calinan district.

But finding the sect leader is easier said than done, according to Delvo, saying Quiboloy’s property in Calinan has a land area of around 30 to 40 hectares.

Fajardo, meanwhile, also stressed that Quiboloy’s physical presence is required by the court handling his case. “He has to be physically present in the processing of his bail or when he comes under court jurisdiction,” she said.

She also urged Quiboloy’s followers to be calm and just allow the judicial system to run its course.

Quiboloy is also wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that brought members of his sect to the US through fraudulently obtained visas.

Quiboloy, a friend and “spiritual adviser” to former president Rodrigo Duterte, is also facing charges in the US for involvement in conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children and cash smuggling. - Emmanuel Tupas, Diana Lhyd Suelto