Apollo Quiboloy. Photo from DILG Sec. Abalos/FACEBOOK PAGE
MANILA, Philippines — The “angels of death” that self-proclaimed “appointed Son of God” Apollo Quiboloy allegedly threatened his sexual abuse victims with, are not spiritual beings but armed men, the police said.
Davao City police chief Col. Hansel Marantan revealed this on Friday, but Quiboloy’s camp denied it.
“From what I know, they are composed of active and non-members of the security forces, the security members, they are the members of the ‘angels of death’,” Marantan said over radio dzRH.
He also bared that one of Quiboloy’s angels of death had “voluntarily given the information” to authorities.
On Thursday, Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said a new batch of Quiboloy’s alleged victims told the police about his group of armed men.
“I don’t know how can you describe the ordeal that these children went through,” Fajardo said, adding that Quiboloy allegedly assured the victims that they remained “pure” and “intact” because they had sex with “the spirit of God.”
READ: Quiboloy invoked God in abusing minors, based on testimonies – PNP
Quiboloy also allegedly warned the victims—some as young as 12 to 13 years old—that an “angel of death” would get them if they broke the code of secrecy on the religious leaders’ alleged sexual crimes, according to Fajardo.
“Well, we don’t know if these angels of death are literal goons of Quiboloy or just a figurative speech that they say to scare the children,” she added.
In a media briefing on Friday, Fajardo said that based on new testimonies, it appears that Quiboloy’s angels of death are “real people.”
Mark Tolentino, Quiboloy’s legal counsel, vehemently denied the accusation on Thursday.
“Pastor Quiboloy has no private army,” he said in a chance interview when asked to react to Fajardo’s statements.
He also noted that members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) made a peaceful resistance when the police entered their compound in Davao City and tried to serve the arrest warrant to Quiboloy, founder and leader of the KJC.
The 16-day operation started on Aug. 24. Quiboloy and four of his subordinates, Jackielyn Roy, Ingrid Canada, Cresente Canada, and Sylvia Cemanes, were arrested on Sept. 8 in the KJC compound.
Tolentino also refuted the allegations of the victims.
“I’m sure all of those [victims] are planted and manufactured. Let them prove the case because the accused is presumed innocent; allegation is not equivalent to guilt,” he said.
Quiboloy remains in the PNP Custodial Center. The other respondents had been detained in the PNP Custodial Center until Friday before being transferred to the Pasig City Jail.
READ: Quiboloy wants hospital arrest in Davao City
One of the suspects, Paulene Canada, was the first to be arrested in July and is now detained in the same city jail.
Quiboloy and five other suspects pleaded not guilty for human trafficking and child abuse cases filed before Pasig City and Quezon City, respectively.
READ: Quiboloy pleads not guilty to child abuse cases
READ: Apollo Quiboloy pleads not guilty in human trafficking case