PNP says 60 cops wounded so far in ongoing hunt for Quiboloy at KOJC

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Several dozen cops were hurt in the ongoing manhunt for fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy and four of his associates, which started inside the sprawling Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) property in Davao on Saturday, August 24.

Police said this as they pressed on with the search inside the property, even with a Davao court issuing a temporary protection order in favor of the KOJC. Quiboloy’s group has accused the police of illegally searching the compound and turning it into a “garrison.”

Police-Davao spokesperson Major Catherine dela Rey told a news conference on Thursday, August 29, that 60 police personnel were wounded as a result of the operations, which have now entered their sixth day.

The KOJC has also claimed that many of its members were hurt by the police and suffered trauma as a result of the operations. They accused authorities of police brutality and of using tear gas against KOJC members on separate occasions.

Some 2,000 cops, led by Police-Davao Region director Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, stormed the KOJC compound on Saturday morning to serve arrest warrants against Quiboloy and four of his followers on child abuse and trafficking charges. The preacher has also been charged with sexual abuse of a minor.

Police have not left the 30-hectare property, sparking a street protest by thousands of Quiboloy’s supporters on Sunday, August 25, to denounce what they called an “invasion.”

Tensions escalated when the police breached their barricade, arrested over a dozen Quiboloy followers, and dispersed protesters the following afternoon.

Brigadier General Roderick Augustus Alba, the primary spokesman of the special task group deployed to hunt down the fugitives, assured that the police were strictly observing legal procedures and processes, but added that the task of finding Quiboloy and the other fugitives has been daunting.

“Our business is to serve and protect. But we are being challenged and being kept from doing our work,” Alba said.

He told reporters that the number of police personnel deployed to the area in Barangay Buhangin was based on the requirements on the ground. 

Alba said the police would not increase the number of officers in the area. Instead, additional troops from other regions were sent to Davao to relieve those needing rest. The same number of officers will rotate in and out of the area in shifts.

Outnumbered

Police-Davao Region director Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III said on Tuesday that the police were outnumbered by Quiboloy’s followers and supporters, as shown by the rally outside the KOJC compound from Sunday to Monday afternoon.

Before the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs in early August, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said Quiboloy posed a “high threat” due to his influence and extensive network.

Torre compared the ongoing operations to the military campaign of the fictional Roman general “Maximus” and “Spartan 300” – characters depicted in the popular films Gladiator and 300. He used the characters metaphorically to describe how the police were carrying out the ongoing operation.

Since Saturday, police have been moving in and out of the KOJC compound in intimidating sequences and formations. Military and police trainings emphasize that appearance matters when troops go into battle.

On Monday, despite being outnumbered, the officers endured the intense heat and systematically dispersed the protesting crowd.

“Si Maximus ay nandito kasi sa side ng PNP sa Davao (Maximus is here with the PNP in Davao),” said Torre, chuckling, during an interview on the YouTube channel of former Finance undersecretary and University of the Philippines (UP) professor Cielo Magno.

He referred to Marbil as “Maximus” and credited him for the strategy that led to the successful dispersal of an estimated 3,000 Quiboloy KOJC members who occupied a portion of the highway.

Marbil has been in Davao for days to oversee the ongoing efforts to capture Quiboloy’s group, who are believed by the police to be hiding underground and playing cat-and-mouse with authorities.

During the dispersal, police arrested 18 KOJC members, including operators and drivers of trucks, cranes, and other vehicles used by protesters to set up barricades. Torre said these would be used as evidence in the obstruction of justice and other complaints against those arrested.

The two police generals said the police were determined to stay on the KOJC premises “until the fugitive Quiboloy surrenders.”

Marbil, for his part, said, “We could just easily force our way in, but there are innocent others, and we value life. The life of fugitive Quiboloy is not worth the life of others.” – Rappler.com