Law enforcers “are getting closer” to fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused in the child abuse and human trafficking cases with the rewards offered for their arrest, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos said Friday.
Abalos issued the pronouncement following the arrest of Pauleen Canada, one of Quiboloy’s co-accused, on Thursday, July 11, in this city.
Last July 9, Abalos announced a P10 million bounty for anyone who can lead authorities to the arrest of Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and P1 million each for his co-accused.
In a press conference streamed live over the Facebook page of the Philippine National Police on Friday, Abalos said that the fugitives are still in the country and intelligence operatives are tracking their possible locations with the help of tips from informants.
“Pero sa nakikita namin sa ngayon nandyan lang yan, nandito lang yan sa Pilipinas. We will assure you this as what we have assured you before lumiliit na ang Pilipinas para sa kanila (But as far as we know, they are just here in the Philippines. We will assure you this as we have assured you before, the Philippines is getting smaller for them),” he said.
Abalos said the police arrested Pauleen, one of the co-accused, on the strength of a warrant of arrest around 1:00 p.m. at her residence in Emily Homes Subdivision in Barangay Cabantian here.
Her house is less than two kilometers away from the Police Regional Office (PRO) – Davao headquarters at Camp Quintin M. Merecido in Buhangin District.
Abalos said that prior to her arrest, an informant called PRO – Davao’s Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division around 9:30 a.m. of the same day to report the location of a person who resembled one of the female suspects.
He said that the information the caller provided matched Pauleen’s possible hideout, which has been under surveillance by police operatives.
As of Friday, July 12, Quiboloy and his other co-accused namely Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes remain at large.
Maj. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, Philippine National Police chief, said that authorities have been receiving several tips from informants on the possible hideouts of Quiboloy and the other suspects, and that they are working “’round-the-clock” in sorting out the information.
“We are working on so may tips right now. Napakaraming anggulo at hindi na magtatagal yan (There are so many angles and it won’t take long (until we capture them),” he said.
Marbil said that with the cash rewards, more people are helping the authorities locate the fugitives.
Abalos earlier said the bounty came from “well-meaning individuals” who want the suspects put under the jurisdiction of authorities. He did not name them.
He appealed to the suspects to voluntarily surrender to authorities as the entire government forces, particularly the police and military, are already searching for them.
He added that they should surrender if they are innocent, and assured them that they will be given due process to defend themselves in the court.
Abalos noted that the law enforcers are just implementing the warrants of arrest issued by the courts.
He said these suspects are fugitives with outstanding warrants of arrest from the courts. The Regional Trial Court (RTC)-Branch 12 in Davao City released a warrant of arrest against the suspects last April 3 while the RTC in Pasig City released its warrant on April 11 for child abuse and qualified human trafficking charges, respectively.
Last May 28, the Supreme Court’s Second Division ordered the transfer of two criminal cases from the RTC in Davao to the RTC in Quezon City.
“As this could cause local biases and a strong possibility that witnesses cannot freely testify due to fear and influence of the accused, the Court found it prudent and judicious to order the transfer of the cases to Quezon City,” it said in a statement.
The Court also directed judges in Davao City and in other stations in Mindanao “where future related cases involving Quiboloy and his co-accused may be filed to motu proprio order the transmittal of the records to the Office of the Clerk of Court of the RTC, Quezon City and Metropolitan Trial Court, Quezon City, as the case may be.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
