‘KINGDOM’ IN A MESS Trash has begun to pile up at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Barangay Sasa, Davao City. Photo taken on Thursday. —JOSELLE R. BADILLA
The Court of Appeals (CA) has extended the freeze order on the bank accounts, real estate properties and other assets registered in the name of fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) sect.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmed on Thursday that the freeze order had been extended until Feb. 6, 2025, based on the appellate court’s resolution dated Aug. 20.
KOJC lawyer Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes also confirmed the extension in a press conference in Davao City, where the massive police manhunt for Quiboloy entered its sixth day at the religious group’s 30-hectare compound.
On Aug. 7, the CA initially imposed a 20-day freeze order after finding merit in the sexual exploitation, human trafficking and financial smuggling cases filed against Quiboloy and four others.
The order covered his 10 bank accounts with Banco De Oro and Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., as well as seven real estate properties located in Davao del Norte, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Mati and Roxas City.
It also extended to the assets of KOJC, Sonshine Media Network International, and 10 other individuals allegedly involved in the preacher’s illegal activities.
READ: AMLC: Freeze on Quiboloy’s bank accounts, properties extended to 2025
This developed as Quiboloy’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, posted on his Facebook account earlier in the day a video that appeared to suggest that the police had started to drill through the basement of Jose Maria College (JMC) in order to reach a suspected “bunker’’ where Quiboloy may be hiding.
But Torreon admitted he could not confirm the drilling operation since the area had been declared off-limits by the police.
KOJC resident minister Carlo Catiil also made the same allegations, as well as another claim that the raiders had also brought in sacks full of firearms into the KOJC compound.
Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, acting head of the Philippine National Police directorate for police community relations, refused to take questions on these claims.
Alba appealed to Quiboloy followers not to disrupt the ongoing operation after the raiders continued to encounter “resistance” from KOJC followers.
At least 60 policemen and 26 civilians have been injured since Aug. 24 when the police entered the KOJC compound.
No such ‘ultimatum’
“We are being challenged by the delay that our law enforcement have encountered because of the resistance. So again we appeal, and I’ve been repeating this: we are not after the members of KOJC… we respect (the church). What we are after is the implementation of the valid warrant of arrest from the courts,” Alba told reporters.
Police Maj. Catherine Dela Rey, spokesperson for Police Regional Office 11, also denied social media chatter about the supposed two-hour ultimatum given by the police for Quiboloy to surrender or else the KOJC cathedral would be bombed.
“I ask the public not to immediately believe what they hear on social media,” said De la Rey. “There was no ultimatum as they claimed and we are not going to destroy any KOJC property. Our mandate is to protect.” —With reports from Joselle R. Badilla, Germelina Lacorte and Ryan D. Rosauro