Arrest of Apollo Quiboloy

Apollo Quiboloy founded the Restorationist Christian denomination Kingdom of Jesus Christ on September 1, 1985, in Davao City, naming himself its Executive Pastor and claiming to be the "Appointed Son of God". Since then, the congregation has grown into a global religious organization, claiming as many as 6 million members and adherents worldwide. On November 10, 2021, Quiboloy, along with other members of the KOJC, were indicted by a federal grand jury in California, United States, for alleged sexual misconduct involving minors, human trafficking, and fraud. A previous indictment in 2020 had covered other defendants, but had not included Quiboloy, who was added in the 2021 indictment along with five other new defendants who were not included in the prior indictment. ==Events==

Prior events Actions by the judiciary and the police Quiboloy had been charged with alleged child and sexual abuse Arrest warrants against Quiboloy, et al. Arrest warrants against Quiboloy and five associates were issued by the Davao City RTC Branch 12 and by a Pasig court. In April, Quiboloy, through an audio recording, stated he refused to be caught alive and alleged an assassination plot against him by the Philippine and United States governments. causing the beginning of tensions between the PNP and the KOJC. The operation was condemned by former president Duterte. On July 8, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos offered a reward for information leading to Quiboloy's arrest. A lower reward was given as well for the five co-accused. President Bongbong Marcos later challenged Quiboloy to appear and face his accusations. He later stated the police's willingness to serve arrest without any casualty if Quiboloy surrendered. Police operation and standoff Compound. At 4:00 a.m. of August 24, Torreon said that the group searched the property at least thrice, and the KOJC's school, the Jose Maria College, seven times, but with no results. and burned tires in retaliation to the police's alleged use of tear gas against them. Before 3:00 p.m. the following day, the police gave them an ultimatum to disperse peacefully to open the road to motorists, but the group refused. This resulted in a violent confrontation, ending with the arrest of 18 KOJC members who were charged with obstruction of justice. On August 27, the Davao RTC Branch 15 issued a temporary protection order to the KOJC, directing the PNP to cease actions that threatening the KOJC members' safety and security, and instructing the removal of all obstructions of access to and from the compound. Interior Secretary Abalos said that the police search would continue to serve the warrant in the premises. The following day, the court issued a clarificatory order, noting that the TPO validates the processes related to the warrants. In the afternoon of the same day, the DOJ issued a statement saying the police operations are legal. Exactly a week later, the Court of Appeals 22nd Division in Cagayan de Oro promulgated a resolution nullifying the TPO, stating that the Davao City court acted without authority on the petition for writ of amparo. On August 27, PNP Public Information Office Chief and spokesperson PCol. Jean Fajardo admitted that due to the large size of the compound and the lack of a blueprint to guide the police, it is likely they had yet to cover half of the compound's total area. According to CNN, 2,000 police officers were still searching the compound. On August 30, Vice President Sara Duterte visited the wake of KOJC member Edwin E. Cababat who died from a heart attack while manning a watchtower during the first day of the standoff. On September 1, the KOJC organized an event at the compound commemorating its 39th anniversary, with Vice President Sara Duterte attending the event and expressing her support for the church while repeating her apology to them for her endorsement of Marcos in the 2022 Philippine presidential election. On September 3, Torreon, along with members of the media, attempted to enter the JMC basement and the KOJC cathedral for inspection but were barred by the police. The KOJC legal counsel noted alleged digging activities in the basement and that the cathedral was designated as an advanced command post. On September 5, they reported the significant decrease of the regional police personnel, some having been pulled out from the compound a day prior to the Senate hearing and inspection of the property. Police were reportedly seen smuggling in cement and cleaning up the area, with damaged glass panes evident. On September 8, Abalos announced in a brief Facebook post that Quiboloy was captured, thus ending the manhunt inside the KOJC property. Torreon stated Quiboloy voluntarily surrendered to spare his followers from violence, to which President Marcos acknowledged Quiboloy as displaying "a modicum of leadership". The police officers in the area were eventually pulled out. The PNP later said that Quiboloy, as well as his four aides, surrendered to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), four hours after being given a PNP-issued 24-hour ultimatum, as negotiations for their surrender had begun at 1:30 p.m. They were taken to Metro Manila and are currently detained at PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Later in an exclusive interview, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said he helped to facilitate negotiations for the surrender of Quiboloy, with dialogues between the camp of KOJC and the ISAFP having been conducted around seven times in Davao City since August 30. President Marcos reported that Quiboloy requested the military presence during his arrest in the compound, adding that that the augmentation from the AFP is common. A source from ABS-CBN News said Quiboloy was seen inside the ACQ building, also known as the Bible School Building, as early as September 6, and hid until his surrender. Overall, more than a hundred people were hurt in the standoff. Sixty police officers were reportedly injured, while Torreon claimed at least 54 church members were hospitalized for injuries or heart and anxiety attacks. and assaulting authorities.---> ==Reactions==

The PNP–Davao Region has defended their operation as legitimate. On August 26, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and KOJC supporters held an indignation rally at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, calling for the resignation of President Marcos from public office. The operation was also criticized by the Duterte family, where Quiboloy is among their known supporters. Former president Rodrigo and his daughter, vice president Sara, both accused the Marcos administration of sowing "fear and terror." Upon Quiboloy's arrest, Marcos commended the PNP for the operation, assuring of transparent and lawful due process, and that there would be no special treatment to him. Senator dela Rosa initially urged Quiboloy to surrender "because there is really a court-issued warrant", Senator Risa Hontiveros first blamed Quiboloy for his absence in the Senate hearing that worsened the situation. Following Quiboloy's arrest, Hontiveros commended the authorities for their efforts while saying in her statement that Quiboloy "will be held accountable" and that their investigation would continue "to seek an end to the systematic abuse of society's most vulnerable." The Commission on Human Rights urged both parties to stay calm and follow the judicial process. The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches called on Quiboloy and his co-accused to surrender to the police. The group also called on the police to comply to ethical measures in serving the arrest warrants; as well on politicians to act as peacemakers and not turn the operation into an issue for their own political gain. After the apprehension of Quiboloy, Caritas Philippines president and Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo issued a statement offering prayers both for the Quiboloy's alleged victims and his followers. ==Senate investigation==

(left) and Robin Padilla during a public hearing on September 6, 2024, look into alleged abuses committed by the Philippine National Police in its operation against Quiboloy. The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, chaired by dela Rosa, sought investigation on the police operation, citing reports stating that church members were prevented from entering or leaving the property. Dela Rosa, also a member of the committee on justice and human rights, led a group involved in the visit and was also joined by fellow senators Robin Padilla and Bong Go, as well as the city building office. The team observed the cathedral allegedly being used as the police's operations center and that the JMC's basement at that time no longer had police presence. and no search warrant. ==Legal actions==

In a press conference held by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on September 9, Quiboloy and his co-accused were presented to the public, • Two counts of malicious mischief under the Revised Penal Code (RPC), filed by Duterte at the Davao City prosecutor's office; • Violation of domicile, interruption of religious worship, offending religious feelings, and grave threats, all under the RPC; The complaint was also lodged under the Cybercrime Prevention Act which would elevate the punishment a degree higher. Torre said that around 200 cases could be filed against individuals who allegedly concealed the suspects and resisted authorities during the operation, and that they may also face charges such as disobedience to a person in authority, direct assault, slander (all also under the RPC), and obstruction of justice under Presidential Decree 1829. ==Media involvement==

Coverage In one press conference, Torreon defended reporting on the standoff of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), KOJC's media outlet, saying that their journalists were caught unprepared and confused by the operation. Several reports from SMNI were refuted by the authorities, including that on the deaths of seven church members in the raid. However, numerous social media footages appeared to prove a claim on the law enforcement using tear gas and pepper spray. On September 3, the PNP restricted media and KOJC members from accessing the JMC's basement and cathedral in response to Torreon's statements on the alleged digging by the police in the JMC's basement to locate Quiboloy's alleged bunker, and the attempt by Torreon and members of the media to enter the site for an investigation. Likewise, PRO Davao, in a memorandum dated September 2 directing those involved in what was called Oplan 8/24, provided restrictions on taking images or videos and requesting reports from personnel within the compound. In his privilege speech on September 10, first district city councilor Bonz Andre Militar urged journalists and social media influencers to practice the highest tenets of journalism, noting that media coverage of the police operations left locals "confused, anxious, and […] misinformed" with the spread of false information. Criticisms and harassment on journalists The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines noted reports on harassment on journalists covering the standoff, and verbal accusations by the KOJC members, specifically stating they had been called "paid media" and "biased". Editha Caduaya, publisher of Davao-based NewsLine, was cited arguing with the protesters: "You were shouting for help from the media. Now that we're here, you're yelling at us! [...] You've been throwing things at us!" The following day, Torreon apologized for the actions by protesters. However, in separate occasions, Torreon and Eleanor Cardona, a KOJC executive secretary who interrupted another conference, likewise criticized the media outlets. ==Aftermath==

The Quezon City RTC Branch 106 and Pasig RTC Branch 159 separately issued orders on where the five should be detained. The former ordered their transfer, either to the New Quezon City Jail or to the female dormitory of the Quezon City Jail in Camp Karingal. The latter first ordered the PNP "to retain the custody" of the five The DOJ recommended to keep Quiboloy, The Pasig court later granted the motion of the Department of National Defense to reject the transfer. The five pleaded not guilty to charges of qualified human trafficking and sexual abuse.. The DOJ has stated he would have to face the criminal charges and serve the prison sentence first if convicted. The PNP and DILG both said that the (still unidentified) informants will receive a reward amounting a total of .A total of was spent for the whole law enforcement, dubbed as "Operation Plan Teknon Alpha." The 16-day is currently seen as a potential test case for the provision in the Rules of Court that allow law enforcers to break into buildings or enclosures. The court extended the furlough until November 27 due to dental issues including infected dental implant which affected his jaw. On January 18, 2025, Quiboloy was hospitalized for pneumonia. ==See also==