Quiboloy yielding: Talks with ISAFP, PNP, but not Duterte

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — It took a week of non-stop negotiations with the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and a few trusted officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) before alleged rapist and human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy agreed to “surrender,” his lawyer said yesterday, while making it clear former president Rodrigo Duterte had no part in it.

The controversial leader and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) came out of hiding on Sunday after more than two weeks of round-the-clock police manhunt against him inside his vast property here.

Taken into custody with Quiboloy were Ingrid Canada, Cresente Canada, Jacklyn Roy and Sylvia Cemanes, his co-accused in the qualified human trafficking and child abuse charges.

“The honest truth is wala po (nothing),” Quiboloy’s lead legal counsel Israelito Torreon told The STAR when asked about Duterte’s possible role in the surrender.

While 3,000 policemen were searching around and digging parts of the 40-hectare KOJC compound along Diversion Road in search of Quiboloy, Torreon said he was secretly meeting with ISAFP and PNP officials in places just adjacent to the KOJC headquarters

Yesterday, Quiboloy’s legal team filed a petition before the Pasig and Quezon City regional trial courts, seeking his transfer as well as that of his four co-accused to the ISAFP detention cell at Camp Aguinaldo from the PNP custodial center at Camp Crame where they were brought on Sunday from Davao City.

The Department of National Defense (DND) said last night that it would oppose the petition.

“The AFP is not the proper agency to have custody of suspects in criminal cases,” the DND said in a statement.

Torreon said Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib had also helped in seeing the negotiations through.

In a post on Meta (Facebook), Torreon identified the Army officials involved in the negotiations as Maj. Gen. Allan Hambala, Col. Guilbert Roy Ruiz, Lt. Col. Jovily Carmel Cabading, Lt. Col. Pete Malaluan and Lt. Col. Ricardo Garcia.

PNP officers who took part in the negotiations were Gen. Romeo Macapaz, Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco, Col. Cholijun Caduyac, Col. Mike Mangahis of the Criminal