Police official who led hunt for Quiboloy promoted

PASTOR FALLS Pastor Apollo Quiboloy (second from right, in orange ‘PUPC’ shirt), leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect, is hardly recognizable as he appeared in cap, face mask and sunglasses while being presented by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos (seated, center), PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil (seated, left) and Davao regional police chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III (seated right) to the media at Camp Crame on Monday. —Lyn Rillon

MANILA, Philippines — Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, the Davao regional police director in charge of the operation to catch the self-proclaimed “appointed Son of God,” Apollo Quiboloy, has been named acting director of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Torre’s new assignment came two weeks after he led a relentless 16-day operation that resulted in the arrest of Quiboloy and four of his five coaccused at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound in Davao City on Sept. 8.

“He will be designated in full-time capacity once promoted to major general,” PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told the Inquirer.

READ: Apollo Quiboloy in gov’t custody after long hunt

The massive manhunt involved up to 2,000 police officers and led to a tunnel being dug inside the sprawling property while being hounded by protests and legal actions by KJC lawyers and supporters.

Torre, who served as Davao’s top police official for three months, replaced Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco as PNP CIDG chief effective on Wednesday, while Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete succeeded Torre as Davao regional police chief.

Another manhunt

With Torre now at the helm of PNP CIDG, he will oversee operations tracking former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who has gone into hiding since the House of Representatives ordered his arrest on Sept. 12 after citing him for contempt for defying its order to present documents related to his assets and businesses.

Torre will also be in charge of the ongoing investigation into claims that a former PNP chief helped dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s escape from the country in July.

After being on floating status for almost a year, Torre was appointed Davao Region police chief in June. He resigned as Quezon City Police District director in August last year after he took a lot of flak for supposedly extending special treatment to a road rage suspect who was a former policeman.