PNP says KOJC compound search almost 50% done

MANILA, Philippines — The manhunt for fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused has entered its second week, but police have searched only around half of the 30-hectare Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound.

At least 2,000 police officers are scouring the vast compound to find Quiboloy, who is believed to be hiding together with his four co-accused in an underground bunker.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said finding the fugitive pastor has been challenging.

“We have searched close to 40 to 50 percent of the property overall,” she told reporters yesterday.

Fajardo said police forces led by Police Regional Office 11 director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre have yet to inspect all 42 buildings in the compound as they are concentrating their search on specific areas where heartbeats were detected by ground-penetrating devices.

Addressing questions about why it is taking police so long to complete the search of the underground facility, Fajardo said the structures in the compound are made of thick stone that can withstand man-made and natural calamities.

“We’re having difficulty in penetrating this underground facility as we are still locating the possible ingress and egress of this facility,” she said.

Without giving details, Fajardo said they have reason to believe the heartbeats police are detecting underground are that of Quiboloy and his co-accused.

Photos of the complex shown by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos on Thursday reveal the underground facility is covered with barbed wire and live electrical wires set up by Quiboloy’s supporters, making the hunt for the fugitive pastor more difficult.

He said they will coordinate with the city government’s engineering office to find out if all the rooms and passageways that police have so far found are declared in the KOJC’s construction plan.

Abalos urged Quiboloy to end the standoff by surrendering to the police and face the cases in court, stressing the police would not leave the compound until he and his co-accused are caught.

Meanwhile, the PNP defended their chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, who drew flak after a video of him partying amid the search for Quiboloy and his co-accused made rounds on social media.

“There was a gathering that night wherein the Chief PNP talked to the personnel, encouraging them and lifting their morale despite the tedious operation,” Police Regional Office 11 spokesperson Catherine dela Rey said.

She maintained the main focus of the mission remains, which is to serve the warrant of arrest on Quiboloy and the others and bring them to court.

She added the brief flying of helicopters over the KOJC compound “provides aerial view and monitoring to the PNP operating units on the ground.”

She explained that they just wanted to have a bird’s eye view of the situation on the ground.

However, the PNP claimed that members of the KOJC “pointed high-resolution lasers to obstruct the pilot’s view,” which posed great risk and danger to their pilots.

KOJC lawyer Israelito Torreon said the “PNP has to prove first whether the laser emanated from the KOJC members.” – Diana Lhyd Suelto, Daphne Galvez