Quiboloy manhunt will go on despite court’s temporary protection order

MANILA, Philippines — Police forces will continue hunting accused sex offender and human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy at the Kingdom of Jesus Christs (KOJC) compound in Davao City even if there’s a temporary protection order (TPO) from a local court, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said Tuesday.

“It will continue and I guarantee that we will still proceed with the operations to look for Pastor Quiboloy,” Abalos told reporters.

Abalos instructed their lawyers to file a petition to clarify the court’s ruling, as there was no clear order from the court to halt all police operations pursuant to serving the arrest warrants.

“We will follow but we need to clarify with the courts. The police operations and the barricade does not pose a threat to the life, liberty and security of the KOJC. And we have two warrants of arrest. We will clarify this,” he added.

According to Abalos, two courts, one in Pasig and Davao, have issued warrants of arrest against Quiboloy for qualified human trafficking and child abuse, orders which the Philippine National Police (PNP) must also implement.

Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said the TPO only instructed the Police Regional Office XI to remove the barricades, barriers and blockades it established.

Fajardo also clarified the court’s ruling is not a restraining order. “There is nothing there saying that we need to leave the KOJC,” she said.

To settle the issue, Fajardo said they will file a petition before the court seeking a clarification on the scope of its order, whether police officers have to stop operations to locate Quiboloy inside the compound.

The official also disclosed that they have monitored at least two heartbeats in what they believe is an underground bunker in the compound, based on signals obtained by their ground penetrating radar.

“There were two beats found there,” Fajardo said over dzBB, adding that it means there are at least two people hiding below the compound, one of whom they believe is Quiboloy. — Emmanuel Tupas, Sheila Crisostomo, Romina Cabrera, Janvic Mateo, Daphne Galvez