President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday, September 9, that fugitive televangelist and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy was forced to surrender as a result of a targeted police operation.
The Chief Executive made the remark following public clamor on the real circumstances of whether Quiboloy surrendered or was captured after a two-week police raid in the 30-hectare KOJC compound in Davao City.
Quiboloy’s camp claimed that he surrendered to the military while Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos and the Philippine National Police said he was arrested on Sunday evening, September 8.
“The question that is being asked is, ‘Did he surrender or was he arrested?’ I think that is a legal question. But this is what I think, he would not have shown himself if we did not pursue him vigorously,” Marcos told Palace reporters following the Philippine Strategic Trade Management Summit 2024.
“What happened was he was forced to come out because the police were closing in on him,” Marcos added.
Marcos also commended Quiboloy for his concern for his followers, noting that the religious leader expressed worry that his supporters might harm themselves if anything were to happen to him.
The President emphasized that the operation to apprehend Quiboloy was a complex one, involving various law enforcement agencies.
He also stressed that there were no casualties during the operation, highlighting the professionalism of the authorities involved.
“My instruction to them was, I don’t want anyone hurt. I don’t want to hurt the members of KOJC because they are just helping the leader they follow,” Marcos added.
Quiboloy was already in the authorities’ custody after a 16-day search initiated by the PNP on August 24 within the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City.
The religious leader and his associates are facing charges of child abuse and human trafficking in courts in Davao City and Pasig City.
Quiboloy also faces multiple criminal charges in the United States. On January 31, 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a wanted poster, seeking information leading to his arrest for “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, including the trafficking of children; conspiracy; bulk cash smuggling.” (TCSP)
