Department of the Interior and Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos Jr. (L) and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. | PHOTOS:INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo, X/Apollo Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. revealed that complaints were filed against him and ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the June 10 raid of Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound in Davao City.
The raid was conducted as government authorities secured warrants for the arrest of Quiboloy, who, along with several of his subordinates, has been charged with human trafficking and child and sexual abuse. Quiboloy is now deemed a wanted fugitive by law.
At the hearing of the House committee on appropriations on the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel commented about the PNP’s manhunt for Quiboloy.
“Kapag big personalities talaga parang ang hirap-hirap arestuhin pero kapag ordinaryong tao ang dali-dali lang hulilihin at nagiging biktima pa ng red-tagging na nagpapatuloy pa rin hanggang ngayon,” Manuel claimed.
(Authorities seemed to have a hard time arresting prominent personalities, but easily arrest ordinary people, who even became victims of red-tagging that continues today.)
READ: Quiboloy staying in his church compound – Davao police chief
Abalos retorted, defending the efforts of the DILG and PNP in looking for the sect leader.
“Hindi po kami ganun, as far as Quiboloy is concerned and the others, ginagawa namin [ang lahat]. In fact dinemanda po kami on record, naka-demanda po ako ngayon at ang PNP dahil sa pag-raid namin sa Kingdom of Jesus [Christ] (KJC), and we are going to answer these accusations against us.”
(We are not like that, as far as Quiboloy is concerned and the others, we are doing everything we can. In fact, we are sued on record, the PNP and I are facing cases due to the raid at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound, and we are going to answer their accusations against us.)
The DILG chief, however, did not further elaborate on the matter during the House hearing.
But a document Abalos sent to INQUIRER.net showed that “full-time miracle workers” of the KJC identified as Sonia Advincula, Richard Reyes, Albert Labandera, and Jun Escobar filed the complaints against the DILG chief and PNP officials for violating Articles 128 (domicile), 132 (interruption of religious worship), 133 (offending of religious feelings), and Article 282 (grave threats) of the Revised Penal Code before the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office last month.
Apart from Abalos, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, former Police Regional Office 11 chief Brig. Gen. Aligre Martinez, PNP Directorate for Operations chief Maj. Gen. Ronald Oliver Lee, PNP Intelligence Group Director Col. Edwin Portento, PNP Special Action Force (SAF) Director Brig. Gen. Mark Pespes, and Lt. Col Lino Akiangan, who is SAF Battalion Commander in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, were named respondents in the complaints sheets.
READ: P10 million reward offered for the arrest of fugitive Apollo Quiboloy
John Does or unidentified law enforcements officers who allegedly damaged assets in the KJC compound were likewise included in the complaints.
Last June 10, around 100 police officers stormed the premises of the KJC compound in Buhangin, Davao City to serve the warrants of arrest against Quiboloy and others. But the sect members raised a resistance and prevented them from entering the area.
On August 8, Davao Police Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III disclosed that Quiboloy is just staying inside the KJC compound.
According to Torre, there is a plan to conduct another operation against Quiboloy but that the police are considering the “safety” and “wellbeing” of the fugitive’s followers.