THE manhunt for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy is still ongoing, according to Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, Police Regional Director for the Davao Region (PRO-Davao).
“Continuing parin nyan gaya ng sinabi ko the (It is continuing as I said the first time) I talked about this matter. There is a national task force because you know that’s quite a complex situation,” Torre told the media on Tuesday morning, July 23, 2024, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
He added that pursuing Quiboloy is not his primary directive since his assignment is in Mindanao, hence national agencies are collaborating in the operations.
The regional director also noted that a national headquarters oversees the search for Quiboloy.
“It’s just a simple implementation of warrant of arrest may sinabi ang korte and kailangan nating sundin (The court ordered it, and we need to follow it),” he said.
Regarding Quiboloy's co-accused, Pauleen Canada, Torre mentioned that she surrendered to the Pasig Regional Trial Court (Pasig RTC), which issued the arrest warrant. He said that Canada's detention location depends on the judge's decision.
Torre said that the last time he left Canada, she was in the hands of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) since the operation to serve the warrant for the six fugitives was composed of a task force involving many units.
To recall, Canada was arrested around 2 p.m. on July 11, 2024, at her residence in Davao City. Canada has a standing arrest warrant for human trafficking issued by a Pasig court, along with Quiboloy, Crisente, and Ingrid Canada, Sylvia Cemañes, and Jackielyn Roy, with no bail recommended.
Meanwhile, Quiboloy has a P10 million bounty on his head, while the others have P1 million each. They also face charges of sexual and child abuse before a Davao court.
Quiboloy refused to appear before the court while his co-accused surrendered and posted bail worth P260,000 each for their temporary freedom. RGP with reports from Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo