End circus, surrender

End circus, surrender | Daily Tribune

The absurd situation in Davao City where a search for fugitive Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy entered its second day is growing worse by the minute.

Members of the cult, in their fanaticism, are now committing sedition, with some calling for the overthrow of the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The KoJC members have been protesting the entry of some 2,000 policemen into their compound to serve a warrant of arrest on their leader, who is the self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God.”

In a live coverage on Quiboloy’s TV network, several personalities alleged abuse of authority in the manhunt which, however, was contrary to even what was being shown on the disenfranchised news channel.

The police had lobbed tear gas at some point to control the massing KoJC members, but their restraint was evident as the cops withdrew from time to time to prevent serious confrontations.

The commentators on the fugitive pastor’s network have been associating the pure police work with a supposed order from the Palace to impose a de facto martial law in Davao, apparently to draw more residents of the Mindanao city to the KoJC compound.

The apparent intention is to reignite the sentiment against Imperial Manila, which is the usual grievance of Mindanao residents that the focus of the leadership in Malacañang is fixed on the capital region at the expense of other parts of the country, particularly far-off Mindanao.

Ridiculous conspiracy claims are being floated, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States is running the show in the effort to apprehend Quiboloy.

A federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Central District of California has indicted the cult leader “for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.”

On 10 November 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Thus, coordination with the local police staking out the KoJC compound is expected due to the pending US case.

Efforts to disproportionately inflate the situation are obvious.

In reality, the police operation remains a case of serving warrants of arrest that is being restrained as a result of the huge influence of Quiboloy who is now collecting favors from individuals in government that he bankrolled.

The warrants of arrest, issued by courts in the cities of Davao and Pasig, bear the names of Quiboloy and five other KoJC members charged with child abuse and human trafficking.

The PNP stormed the KoJC compound in Davao City early Saturday morning to serve the court orders on Quiboloy and his cohorts.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has suggested an end to the standoff.

He advised the political backers of the pastor to “exemplify true leadership by advising Quiboloy to adhere to the rule of law and to address the accusations against him through the proper legal channels.”

There is no roundabout way to the issue which is not a political but a legal matter.

Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, director of Police Regional Office-Davao, said Quiboloy has been pinpointed hiding in an underground bunker in the vast compound and the police are searching for the entrance to it.

Police officials said the presence of the law enforcers in the KoJC compound is necessary because of the credible information that Quiboloy is still in the compound, and the arrest warrants must be served.

Quiboloy, through his lawyer Isabelito Torreon, said the human trafficking cases are “brazen” lies — which he must still prove to the courts, however.

The allegation that the order to the Philippine National Police to suppress the exercise of religious beliefs had come from high up is ridiculous as the law enforcers are bound to follow court directives as best they can.

Deploying more than 2,000 policemen who could otherwise be assigned elsewhere to keep the peace is an overkill but the job must be done.

The KoJC, its followers, political patrons and Quiboloy himself should realize that there’s no way out but to face the charges which, with their battery of lawyers, should guarantee they won’t be shortchanged.