THE latest search by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the 30-hectare Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) Central Compound in Buhangin, Davao City, failed, as authorities were unable to capture "fugitive of justice" Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused, despite deploying 2,000 heavily armed personnel.
The operation, which began at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, August 24, 2024, marks the fourth raid since June 10, a day infamously referred to as the “Day of Infamy.”
The search has no set end date.
Personnel from various regional offices of the PNP, with Regions 10, 11, 12, and 13 leading the effort, have so far covered 22 structures within the compound.
Despite the thorough search, Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III remains optimistic that Quiboloy is still within the area. He also said they are using life detectors to search for a human heartbeat.
“He's definitely there. They're trying to sneak him out. We have informants inside. We just haven't been able to find him due to their well-planned movements within the compound,” Torre said as the search continued on Sunday morning, August 25.
Torre suspects that Quiboloy might be hiding in a specific location, possibly underground, based on received information. He explained to the media that the search teams struggled with the compound's vast size and complexity, which is four times bigger than Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"He's able to move around, but there's a possibility it's an underground location. With the size of the place and the numerous exits, even we are getting lost and separated," he noted.
The PNP continues to review its deployment strategy, as this is the first time they have searched every corner of the compound. Despite more than 24 hours of searching, they have yet to locate their targets.
However, plans to extract Quiboloy have been finalized, even though only about one-fourth of the compound has been searched so far.
The 30-hectare KOJC compound includes a 77,000-seat dome, a hangar, four helicopters, and two airplanes. DEF