THE DEPARTMENT of Interior and Local Government (DILG) maintained that it has no hand in the ₱1 million reward for any information leading to the arrest of Paulene Canada, a co-accused of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in child abuse and qualified trafficking charges.
DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos emphasized that the reward was sourced from private individuals, so it will be handled directly between the sponsor and the informant.
A tip from an anonymous caller led to the arrest of Canada on July 11, 2024. She was whisked immediately to Camp Crame where she was presented to the media in a press conference.
Abalos urged Quiboloy to surrender and face the legal proceedings against him. The pastor carries a P10-million bounty on his head. Meanwhile, authorities announced a P1-million reward for each of the five co-accused, including Canada.
PNP Director General Rommel Marbil echoed the significance of reward money in incentivizing informants as he acknowledged the challenge of locating individuals actively evading authorities. He urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of Pastor Quiboloy to cooperate with the police.
Brig Gen Nicolas Torre, director of PRO XI, clarified that there was no denial or misinformation regarding the operation, and attributed any confusion to miscommunication within the police force.
Quiboloy’s legal counsel Lawyer Israelito Torreon said the police lied about having custody of Paulene Canada thereby denying him access to his client. However, the KOJC camp secured the CCTV footage during the operation.
Torre said the operation was highly confidential and they kept information on a need-to-know basis to prevent a leak.
“So, it’s an unfortunate thing but we’ll he knows now and we presented Ms. Paulene,” he said.
When asked why she was not detained in the Buhangin Police Station, which had jurisdiction, Torre said they decided to bring Canada to the PRO XI headquarters since it was only two kilometers away.
On not giving access to Atty. Torreon, Torre said he never received a request from the KOJC counsel. “I messaged him two weeks ago and he never responded to me,” he said.
