DAVAO CITY – A follower of fugitive evangelist Apollo Quiboloy reportedly died due to cardiac arrest after at least 2,000 police officers stormed the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound to serve the warrant of arrest against the religious leader here early Saturday morning, August 24.
TORRE (Keith Bacongco)
KOJC lawyer Israeli Torreon said the 52-year-old follower allegedly died after police operatives used tear gas when they forcibly entered through the back gate of the compound at 5 a.m.
Torreon added that eight others were hospitalized and several others lost consciousness.
But Police Regional Office-11 chief Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III downplayed the claims of KOJC members, saying that the incident was just staged.
The PRO-11 said that only one person died contrary to the claims of Quiboloy’s followers that at least five of their colleagues died due to heart attack.
Augmented by combined police personnel from different regions, Torre led the serving of warrants of arrest against Quiboloy and four of his co-accused.
At around 5 a.m., police officers in full battle gear, believed to be members of the Special Action Force, entered the compound.
Quiboloy and his five co-accused are wanted for child and sexual abuse and human trafficking. A female accused was arrested in July.
Using a long-range acoustic device, Torre can be heard giving instructions to the operating units and augmentation forces. Hundreds of fully equipped anti-riot policemen were also deployed inside the compound as well as different entry points.
Prior to the entry of police officers, Torreon and Torre argued outside the compound after the lawyer questioned the warrant presented by the police general. Torreon pointed out to Torre that the warrant of arrest was against Sylvia Cemañes whose address is in Pasig City.
But Torre told Torreon to file his complaint before court because they will still enter to compound at all cost. “This is not the place for us to debate. If you have any complaint, you just file your complaint. Because right now, whether you like it or now, we will enter,” Torre told Torreon in front of media, Quiboloy supporters, and several police officers.
Torreon explained before Torre that the National Bureau of Investigation has issued a certification that the alias warrants of arrests have already been served.
“Attorney, immaterial ‘yan. Mag-usap kayo diyan ng 30 minutes. Papasok kami diyan sa ayaw at sa gusto ninyo,” Torre insisted. (That’s immaterial attorney. Talk for 30 minutes. We will enter whether you like it or not)
Torre was asked if he was certain that Quiboloy was still inside the compound. He reiterated his claim that the fugitive evangelist is just hiding in one of the enclosed areas of the compound.
But as of 4:30 p.m., police have yet to find any of the fugitives in the 30-hectare compound.
Torre said the search is still ongoing as they have just cleared a quarter of the compound.
He bared that they are using a device that could detect heartbeats even behind concrete walls.
Torre said that there is no timeline in the manhunt operations against Quiboloy and his companions.
Meanwhile, several KOJC members remain in the compound to protest the police operation.
Torreon chided the police for using excessive force for reportedly using tear gas after they forcibly entered the gate at the back of the compound.
Hundreds of Quiboloy supporters confronted police officers who were searching inside the compound just beside the Davao International Airport.
KOJC members slammed the operation and described it as an “overkill.”
Several Quiboloy followers confronted police officers guarding the entry points of the compound.
At around 2 a.m., the northbound lane of the national highway was closed to traffic as hundreds of police officers were deployed in front of the compound. It was opened to traffic at around 6 a.m.
Police put up an advance command outpost in one of the gates of the compound, particularly in front of the unfinished dome.
Torre said that they will strictly monitor the movement of Quiboloy followers.
However, Torreon said the putting up of an advance command post is illegal since the police’s purpose was just to serve the arrest warrants.
What the police are doing is already a search operation, he added. “Their mission is already over. Therefore, they don’t have the right anymore to stay in the compound,” Torreon said.