Apollo Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — A member of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) religious sect died during the same time about two thousand members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were conducting an operation meant to serve the warrant of arrest to sect leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
The operation was held inside the church’s compound in Buhangin District, Davao City.
Major Catherine Dela Rey, chief of the Police Regional Office 11 Public Information Office, confirmed the fatality.
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“May namatay pong isa. Hindi po totoo na pito. Na-declare po siya na dead on arrival sa Southern Medical Philippines Hospital dito sa Davao due to cardiac arrest,” she told INQUIRER.net over the phone.
(One person died. It is not true that it was seven. He was declared dead on arrival at Southern Medical Philippines Hospital here in Davao due to cardiac arrest.)
The deceased was a male, over 50 years old.
“Based sa investigation namin, ilang araw na pong pagod at puyat ‘yung patient dahil sa pagbabantay doon sa tower nila,” she explained.
(Based on our investigation, the patient had been exhausted and sleep-deprived for several days after guarding their tower.)
Dela Rey said that KOJC members initially refused police assistance for their ailing member.
“More than 15 minutes po bago sila tumawag ng ambulance. Nung palapit na rin ‘yung medical staff ng police, ayaw pa nga po nilang pahawakan ‘yung patient dahil hindi raw po nila alam kung anong gagawin kasi may sarili silang doktor sa loob,” she said.
(They waited more than 15 minutes before calling an ambulance. Even when the police medical staff arrived, they were reluctant to let them attend to the patient, claiming that they didn’t know what to do because they had their own doctor inside.)
“Syempre siguro, nakita na nila na kailangan na talagang i-transport sa hospital kaya po in-allow nila na dalhin ng ambulance,” she noted.
(Eventually, they must have realized that it was necessary to transport the patient to the hospital, which is why they allowed the ambulance to take him.)
Dela Rey clarified that the person had no interaction with the police prior to the incident.
“Walang interaction. Walang commotion na nangyari. Dahil po sa pagod niya sa duty niya sa tower nya, [kaya siya namatay],” Dela Rey stressed.
(There was no interaction. No commotion happened. He died due to exhaustion from his duties at the tower.)
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Around 5 a.m. on August 24, around 2,000 police officers converged on the KOJC compound to serve an arrest warrant on Quiboloy.
Dela Rey said they received information indicating that Quiboloy was in the compound, prompting the search operation.
The search is still ongoing as of 11:30 a.m.