- PRO XI investigating alleged kill squad linked to Quiboloy; KOJC lawyer refutes the claims
POLICE Regional Office XI director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III confirmed that they are investigating the allegation that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy maintained a private army called “angels of death.”
Davao City Police Office director Col. Hansel Marantan first raised the so-called “angels of death” in a press conference last week after quoting five women allegedly raped by the televangelist.
However, Kingdom of Jesus Christ legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon denied these claims.
In a press briefing on Monday, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said they already have the names of suspected members of the group.
“They have initial names of individuals who may be members of the ‘angels of death,’ who are used to intimidate and harm those who reveal secrets about what’s happening in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ’s building,” Fajardo said.
She further explained, “The term ‘private army’ is used because they take orders from Apollo Quiboloy. They are specifically used to intimidate these individuals.”
Fajardo mentioned that the PNP is investigating whether Army reservists and militiamen allegedly serving as Quiboloy’s bodyguards are part of the “angels of death.”
But Torre said they are still verifying whether or not the persons of interest were former military reservists and militiamen.
“We are still verifying,” he said, adding they also have to verify how many members the group has.
No private army
However, Torreon refuted the police’s claims about Quiboloy maintaining a private army.
“That is not true. I hope the public will not believe this latest attack against Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy,” Torreon said.
“If this were true, then this private army would have been used during the 16-day KOJC siege, where the members were subjected to significant violence and violations of their constitutional and human rights. Yet, not a single one of them brandished a firearm to retaliate against the police. Instead, KOJC members were seen providing bread and food to the police,” he added.
“Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy has millions of private prayer warriors, not a private army. The accusation is contrary to the message of love and compassion preached by Pastor ACQ, making it inherently incredible and unbelievable,” Torreon said.
He also questioned, “I pray that this is not a precursor to future murder cases against Pastor ACQ. Will they even claim that Pastor was the mastermind behind the death of Lapulapu?”
Angels of Death
Police have previously reported that some alleged sex slaves of Quiboloy, who are minors, claimed they would be killed by the “angels of death” if they revealed the sexual abuses occurring within the KOJC compound.
Marantan revealed that five female members of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s inner pastoral community personally told him about being sexually assaulted by the televangelist when they were minors.
“It’s true that we have five members of the pastoral with us, though not necessarily in our custody,” Marantan said.
The DCPO chief also noted that it is challenging for the victims to break the code of silence because they believed in the pastor’s claim of being the anointed son and that their reward would be a place in heaven. He said the victims were also misled into believing that any misconduct was attributed to a spirit rather than Quiboloy himself.
Furthermore, the victims were reportedly afraid to come forward because they feared that Quiboloy would unleash the “angels of death” on them, killing them and devastating their families.
Quiboloy currently faces charges in the Philippines for alleged violation of child protection and human trafficking laws. He has also been indicted in the US for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.
Quiboloy’s camp continues to deny all allegations against him.
