DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 05 September) – Police operations to arrest Pastor Apollo Quiboloy inside the 23-hectare compound of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) entered its 12th day on Wednesday but for Quiboloy’s chief counsel, Israelito Torreon, it has been six months since he last saw his client, the self-proclaimed “appointed son of God,” leave the compound one evening in March, in a gray Toyota Innova.
Torreon told MindaNews in a sit-down interview on Tuesday morning that he had a long meeting with Quiboloy in March this year, inside the KOJC compound, “prior to the issuance of the warrant of arrest by the Senate committee headed by (Senator Risa) Hontiveros,” and has not heard from him since, not even by phone.
Quiboloy was cited for contempt on March 5 for snubbing for the third time the hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. A warrant for his arrest was signed by then Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on March 19.
The Senate committee was investigating, in aid of legislation, the “reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence, and child abuse of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) under its leader Apollo Quiboloy.”
Torreon said they had a “very long discussion” – about four hours — that centered on the “possible scenarios that may happen with these cases, including but not limited to the congressional hearings, who will handle it, etc.”
He said he decided to “focus on the main criminal cases against him” and discussed possible scenarios. “What if a warrant of arrest will be issued? What will I do? I gave him alternative courses of action and what if there is an issue insofar as extradition is concerned or extraordinary rendition. So that’s why I already had that … authority to act for him,” he said.
The warrants for Quiboloy’s arrest from the courts in Davao and Pasig for alleged large-scale trafficking, rape, sexual abuse among others, were issued in April.
Torreon said he laid down the options for Quiboloy. “For example, if you will face the cases, you will be imprisoned. We can file a petition for bail in court so that you can gain temporary liberty.”
“But there are cases that are non-bailable,” MindaNews said. His response: “We can file a petition for bail and prove that the evidence of guilt is not strong. But that would take a long time. Maybe one year, two years. Another legal option is for you to insist on your innocence. You will file a motion for reconsideration with the DOJ (Department of Justice), insist that there is no probable cause, file a motion to quash before the regional trial courts on the ground that there is a violation of your right to speedy disposition of cases and that the officer who filed the information has no authority to do so, no factual legal basis for you to be filed two informations for qualified human trafficking, knowing that the Secretary ordered only one, etc. etc…”
Torreon recalled the meeting with Quiboloy “was an emotional last meeting because honestly, right after our meeting, we had a long discussion as to whether or not he will face the cases … but according to him, there is threat to his life.”
“So he rode an I think it was an Innova, together with the other accused. And I saw them leave the compound. That’s the truth. That’s the last time that I saw him,” Torreon said. The 53-year old Torreon rose to national prominence in 2008 as the lawyer of the province of North Cotabato who asked and was granted by the Supreme Court a temporary restraining order to stop the government peace panel chair from formally signing in Kuala Lumpur the already initialed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
A month before that March meeting inside the KOJC compound, Quiboloy, in a voice message aired on February 21 on the YouTube channel of Sonshine Media, declared he was in hiding for fear of his life, claiming the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and other US authorities, aided by the Philippine government, were out to eliminate him.
Quiboloy and two other church administrators have been placed on a “wanted” list by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since early 2022 for “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.”
The “wanted by the FBI” posters of Quiboloy, Teresita Tolibas Dandan, and Helen Panilag, were posted on the FBI’s website nearly three months after federal warrants of arrest were issued on November 10, 2021.
In China?
When MindaNews asked Torreon if he was in touch with Quiboloy by phone or other means since that March meeting inside the KOJC compound, he replied:
“No. No. I told the BOA (Board of Administrators) and all the members there not to do that to me so that I will not be compromised … because you know, as a lawyer, we manifest in court and if the judge would ask me, ‘were you able to talk to the client?’ I could not lie. Otherwise I will be cited in contempt.”
He said he does not know where Quiboloy went after he saw him leave the compound in March. “I do not know. I didn’t want to know also.”
He said he also does not know if Quiboloy is still in the country. “I have no idea. Although,” he paused before continuing, “I don’t know if I will say this but there was this Chinese-Filipino client who called me that … he saw or his relatives saw Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy in China.”
Asked when he was told this, Torreon paused for a few seconds and said “maybe around June?”
MindaNews asked Torreon on Wednesday if this was before or after June 10, the police operations to arrest Quiboloy that KOJC members refer to as “day of infamy.” Torreon said on Thursday morning that “this was before June 10” but reiterated he could not confirm if Quiboloy is in China.
“I told the BOA about it (sighting in China). But they could not confirm likewise. I think in one of my interviews, I said that already but of course I could not confirm it. I do not want to jeopardize also that person because I won’t know if she was joking or not,” he said.
“So this is a she? Is she a reliable person as far as you’re concerned?” MindaNews asked. “No, maybe she was just trying to ride the news and try to confuse the situation. That’s why I do not delve on that much.”
He stressed he does not have personal knowledge “as to where he (Quiboloy) is.”
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre, regional police chief, told MindaNews on Wednesday that on Day 12 of the operations, he is “even more certain” that Quiboloy is inside the KOJC compound. (see other story).
Is Quiboloy in touch with the BOA? “I do not know also. I do not know,” Torreon said.
Torreon, who refers to himself as a “practising Muslim since 2010,” explained he is “not an insider” in the KOJC, does not know how many members the BOA has but is aware it has permanent members and alternate members.
The BOA, he said, “directs the day-to-day affairs of the Kingdom Nation.” It is composed of “leaders of the Kingdom Nation” and there are representatives from different countries, represented in the BOA. “They are present in 200 countries, 2,200 cities in the whole world,” he said. (The United Nations has 193 member-states and two non-member states who sit as observers).
On March 8, three days after Quiboloy was cited for contempt by the Senate, the KOJC announced the appointment of former President Rodrigo Duterte as administrator of the KOJC properties. Quiboloy is Duterte’s friend and spiritual adviser.
Torreon clarified that the KOJC compound is 23 hectares, not 30 as stated by Torre. Torre told MindaNews Wednesday night that the compound may be 23 hectares but their operations include the surroundings. At least 2,000 police personnel from at least from various regions were deployed to the KOJC on Augusrt 24 to arrest Quiboloy and his co-accused.
But Torreon confirmed Torre’s count of 41 structures within the compound. “More or less 41 structures, I confirm. When I say structures, even the small bunkhouses of the workers building the King Dome. There are Chinese workers there.”
“There are some (Chinese) because they are helping the … engineers there. Around four or five. They’ve been there for a long time.. There are other, like for example, the seats. I heard (they’re) from China. Okay. So (they need) to be installed.”
The King Dome, the biggest structure within the compound, is a 75-000 seater arena larger than the Philippine Arena. Torreon said it was supposed to have been inaugurated in December last year. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
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